A Treatise of Original Sin

SECT. I.

A Full and large information concerning the whole Nature of original sin, both in the Privative and Positive part thereof, hath been delivered, to which this Text hath been very useful. There remaineth one thing more in it, which is very considerable, and that is the way or means, how Paul cometh to be thus convinced of that sinfulness, which he did not acknowledge before, and that is said to be by the Law. In what sense Paul said, He knew not lust to be sin, hath already been declared.

There remaineth therefore this Doctrine to be observed, viz. That original sin in the immediate effect thereof, is truly and fully known only by the light of God's word. None are ever clearly, and thoroughly persuaded of such an universal horrid defilement, but those who look into the pure glass of God's word. This Paul acknowledgeth in himself, and yet no Heathen, he lived under the light of the Word, but following traditional expositions from his fathers, and wanting the Spirit of God to enlighten him, therefore he was wholly stupid and senseless in this matter, as therefore the Doctrine of Christ, and Evangelical grace is a mystery, so is also this Doctrine about original sin.

SECT. II.

Whether the wisest Heathens had any Knowledge of this Pollution.

BUt because this matter is under Debate and Question, let us further inquire into it, examining, Whether the wisest Heathens had any knowledge of this natural pollution the Word doth so fully inform us in? And

First, As for that original sin called originans, viz. Adam 's actual transgression made ours by God's will and appointment, through imputation, that is, wholly known by revelation, so that no Heathens by the highest improvement and cultivage of nature could ever discern such things. That God made Adam righteous, giving him a command of trial in obedience, or disobedience, whereof all his posterity should be involved, this they had not the least him of, and the reason is, Because the truth of such things lieth not in nature, neither have second causes the least demonstration of this, but it is wholly discovered as a matter of fact by the Scripture; So that we Christians ought the more to bless God for the sight of his Word, seeing thereby a very Ideot amongst us may know more, then the wisest Aristotle or Plato amongst the Heathens.

Secondly, As for original inherent sin, it must necessarily be granted, That even the Heathens had some general confused knowledge about a man's natural defilement: Hence was their custom of a solemn washing, and lustration of their Infants in a religious way, implying hereby, that they came into the world polluted, and needed the propitious savor of their gods. This solemn religious custom of theirs, was some general confession of original sin; but as for the Philosophers, who were the wisest and most learned of them, some do speak more congruously to this point than others. That noble and learned Pless • us in his Book of the Truth of the Christian Religion, Pag. 377. which he endeavoreth to prove even from Heathinish Authors, especially the Platonists, doth allege some things pertinently to our subject; For Plato holding,

through he grossly erred in the foundation, thinking souls pre-existent before the body, and for faults committed then adjudged to the body as a place of prison, which was an absurd error, yet there was some truth he did take notice of, for observing that the soul which should rule and command the body, was yet mancipated, and enslaved to it, he concluded there was some fore-going crime deserving this, though he was wholly ignorant of Adam 's fall: Hence he saith, The • phrastus also Aristotle 's Scholar, was wont to say, The Platonists do seem to acknowledge more truth herein, then Aristotls, for Aristotle doth expressly deny, That either virtue or vice is in us by nature, the very same thing which Pelagin afterwards did use to say: Therefore the Schoolmen, though enslaved to Aristotle, yet when urging this Argument, Which speech (if true) doth utterly contradict that of the Apostle, We are by nature the children of wrath. The Schoolmen (I say) though 〈◊〉 vasalized to Aristotle, and alleging him oftener than Paul, do answer that Argument thus, It is no matter what Aristotle saith in this case, because he knew nothing of original sin. Thus you see they are forced to leave him in this point, and therefore Aristotle is more to be renounced in this point, then any other Philosopher. Grotius also ( Comment. in 2 ^d . Luc. v. 21. alledgeth several Hethenish Authors, who lay down this for a Position, that 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , it is implanted and engraffed into man to sin. Tully (lib. 3. Tusc. ) doth speak so fully to this purpose, as if he had read what Moses speaketh of man by nature, Simul ac editi sumus in lucem & suscepti in omni continue pravitate versamur, &c. as soon as ever we are born, we are presently exercised in all manner of evil, Vt poene in lacte nutricis errorem suxisse videamur, as if we sucked down error with the nurses milk; Here you see he speaketh something like to Moses, when he saith, Gen. 6. That the imagination of the thoughts of our hearts are only evil and that continually; Although at the same time he seemeth to attribute this propensity to evil to wicked manner, and depraved opinions, for there he saith, But although some of their wisest men have confessed such a misery and infirmity upon us, yet it may be doubted, Whether they looked upon this, as truly and properly sin, deserving punishment either from God or man; They rather thought all sin must be voluntary: Hence Seneca, Erras si existimas nobiscum nasci vitia supervenerunt ingesta sunt. Indeed in their sad complaints concerning man's birth, and all misery accompanying him, as Austin said, they did rem scire, but causam nescire, they evidently saw we were miserable, but they knew not the cause of it, whereas original sin, according to Scripture light, though not personally voluntary, yet is truly a sin, and maketh a man in a damnable estate; Therefore the word original, when we divide sin into original and actual, is not terminus restrictivus, or diminuens, as when we did divide ens into ens reale, and rationis, but terminus specificans, as when animal is divided into rationale and irrationale, both properly partaking of the general nature of sin; So that whatsoever apprehensions they had, and complaints they made about man, yet they did not believe he was born in sin, though experience told them, he was in misery. The Persians (as Plesseus in the above-mentioned place saith) had every year a solemn Feast, wherein they did kill all the Serpents and wild beasts they could get, and this Feast they called vi • iorum interitum, the slaying of their vices. By which it doth appear, that they had a guiltiness about their sinful ways, and that none were exempted from being sinful. Yea Casaub. (Ex • rcit. 16. ad Annal. Bar. pag. 391.) speaking of the sacred mysteries among the Grecians, the discharging whereof was called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , affirmeth, That therefore they called the scope of those holy actions 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , because it was (as they thought) a perduction of the soul to that state in which it was, before it descended into the body, which he interpreteth of the state of perfection from which we fell in the old Adam, so that even in this error there was some truth, which made Tertullian say, Omnia adversus veritatem de ipsà veritate constructa esse operantibus aemulationem istam spiritibus erroris. Thus you see how the wisest of the Heathens have been divided in this point, Some making the soul of a man to come without vice or virtue, as a blank fit to receive either. Others acknowledging a disease, and an infirmity upon the soul, yet ignorant of the cause of it, neither acknowledging it to be a sin, and so deserving punishment.

In the second place, Although the Heathens did not see this sin, nor could truly bewail it, yet so far many of them were convinced, that if they had any sinful desires or lusting in the soul, or any wicked thoughts in their hearts to which they gave consent, that these were sins, and wholly to be abstained from, though they did not break forth into act. Grotius in his Comment upon the 10 ^th Commandment, showeth out of several Heathenish Writers, That all secret lustings of the soul with consent thereunto were were wholly unlawful; Yea, as one of them is there said to express it, they are not so much as to covet a needle, the least thing. And as for Seneca, he hath high assertions about the governing of our thoughts, and ordering the inward affections of our souls so, as that the gods, as well as men may approve us. Tully saith, That an honest man would do no evil, or unjust thing, though he could have Gyges his ring, which they feigned made a man invisible; And this is the rather to be observed, because herein they surpassed the Pharisees, who though brought up under the Law, and had constantly the word of God to guide them, yet they did not think any covetings or lustings in the heart to be a transgression of the Law, as appeareth by our Savior's information, and exposition he gave them, Matth. 5. And Josephus is said to deride Polybius the great Historian for making the gods to punish a King, merely because he had a purpose and an intent to commit some enormious iniquity: Yea, This principle of the Heathens may make many Christians ashamed, and be greatly confounded, who live, as if their thoughts were free, and their hearts were their own, so that they might suffer any poisonous evil, and malicious actings of soul to be within them, and to put to check or control upon them: As they matter not original sin, so neither the immediate effects and working thereof. Though their hearts be a den of thievish lusts, and their souls like Peter 's sheet, wherein were a company of innumerable unclean creeping lusts, yet so as their lives are unblameable, they wholly justify themselves; but you are to know, that the strength of sin lieth in your hearts. The least part of your evil is that which is visible in your lives.

SECT. III.

THirdly, We see that original sin is so hardly discernible, that though men do enjoy the light of God's Word, yea and read it over and over again, yet for all that they are not convinced of this native pollution. We see in all the Heretics that have been in all ages, who have denied this original sin, they were summoned to answer the Word of God, Scripture upon Scripture was brought to convince them, but a veil was upon their eyes, they would wrest and pervert the meaning of it, rather than retract their error, so that Scripture-light objectively shining therein, is not enough Paul is a clear instance in this, he was most exact and strict about the Law, yet wholly ignorant of this fundamental truth before he was converted, he knew the Commandment, Thou shalt not covet, yet he did not fully and thoroughly attend thereunto Hence

In the fourth place, To have a full and clear understanding of this native defilement, we are to implore the light of God's Spirit. The light of the Word is not enough, unless the Spirit of God be efficacious to remove all error, and impediments, as also to prepare and fit the soul to receive it; Hence it's made the work of God's Spirit to lead into all truth, if into all, then into this, while the eyes remain blind, the Sun with all its luster can do no good. It is true, God's Word is compared to a light, and to a lamp, but that is only objective without us, there must be something subjectively within us, that shall make a suitableness between the object and the faculty. To be made then Orthodox, and to have a sound judgment herein, it must be wholly from the Spirit of God; For why is it that when one heareth and readeth those Texts, We are by nature the children of wrath; Who can bring a clean thing out of unclean? He adoreth the fullness of these Texts, he is convinced of such heart-pollution, and blesseth God for the knowledge of this truth: But another he cavilleth at the Texts, he derideth and scorneth at such a truth, Is not this because the Spirit of God leadeth one into the truth, and leaveth the other to his pride and blindness of mind.

SECT. IV.

FOurthly, It is not enough to know this sin in an orthodox speculative manner, to acknowledge it so, But we are also in a practical, experimental manner to feel and bewail the power and burden of it. And happily this may be part of Paul 's meaning, when he saith, He did not know lust to be sin, that is, not so clearly, so fully, so experimentally, as now he did since the grace of God had both enlightened and sanctified him; How many have with great orthodoxy maintained this Truth against Pelagians, and all the enemies of God's grace shrouding themselves under the praise of nature, but it is rare to see those that do not only theoretically believe it, but practically walk with broken and contrite hearts under it. Examine then thyself, Doest thou believe this is God's Truth, that thou camest into the world all over polluted? Doest thou think that thou as well as any other, though never so civil and unblameable in respect of actual sins, art by nature a child of the Devil, prepared fuel for the eternal flames of Hell? And doest thou not only believe this to be thy particular case, but withal thou art so affected with an holy fear and trembling, thou hast no quietness or rest in thy soul, because of it, then thou art come to a true and right knowledge of it? For the end of our preaching on this Subject, is not only to establish your minds in this Truth against all errors therein, but also to mollify and soften your hearts, that you may all your life time loath yourself, and advance the fullness of Christ: And seeing that natural light is dim and confused in this matter, keep close to the Word, and not only so, but implore the Spirit of God, that in and through the Word, this Truth may enter like a two-edged sword into thy bowels, knowing that without this foundation laid, there cannot be any esteem of Christ.

SECT. I.

A Clear and full knowledge of original sin can be obtained only by Scripture light; Although (as you heard) some Heathens have had a confused apprehension about it. My work at this time shall be, to show, That even Reason, where once enlightened by the Scripture, may be very powerful to convince us of this natural pollution. So that when Scripture, Reason and Experience shall come in to confirm this Truth, we may then say, there needeth no further disquisition in this point. And

First, This may abundantly convince us, That the hearts of men are naturally evil, Because of the overflowing of all wickedness in all ages over the whole world; How could such weeds, such briars and thorns grow up everywhere, were not the soil bad? It's true, in some ages some kind of sins have abounded more than others, and so in some places. But there was never any generation, wherein impiety did not cover the earth, as the waters do the Sea: Insomuch that if we should with zeal undertake to reprove them according to their desert, Non tam irascendum quàm insaniendum est, as Seneca of the vices of his time. Erasmus in his Epistle to Othusius complaineth,

Now how were it possible, that the whole world should thus lie in wickedness, 1 Joh. 5. 19 as the Apostle affirmeth, but that all mankind by nature is like so many Serpents and Toads, of which there is none without poison? If this wickedness did abound only in some places, we might blame the Clymate, the Country, or their Education, but it is in all places under the Equator, as well as the Tropic; in all ages, former times as well as later have been all groaning under ungodliness, and whereas you might say, The world is in its old age now, and the continual habituated customary ways of wickedness have made us drink the dregs of impiety, yet the Scripture telleth us, That not long after the Creation of the world, when we might judge greater innocence and freedom from sin to have been every where, yet then all flesh had corrupted their ways, Gen. 6. 12. which provoked God to bring that wonderful and extraordinary judgment of drowning it with water, as if it were become like a noisome dunghill that was to be cleansed. And lest you should think this was only because of their actual impieties, we see God himself, charging it upon this, because the imaginations of a man's heart were only evil, and that from his youth up: So that there is no man who considers the ways and manners of all the inhabitants of the world, but must conclude, had there not been poisonous fountains within, there had never been such poisoned streams. The wars, the rapines, the uncleannesses, and all the horrid transgressions that have filled the earth, as the vermin did Egypt, do plainly declare, That all men have hearts full of evil; And lest you might think this deluge of impiety is only in the Heathenish, Paganish and brutish part of the world. The Psalmist complaineth of that people, who were the Church of God, and enjoyed the light of the Word, That there was none righteous, that there was none that did good, no not one, Psal. 14. 3. So that as graves and dead men's bones, the Sepulchers and monuments everywhere do fully manifest men are mortal, no less do the actual impieries that fill all Cities, Towns and Villages discover, that all are by nature prone to that which is sinful.

SECT. II.

SEcondly, This original sin may be proved by reason, yea and experience thus, If you consider all the miseries, troubles and vexations man is subject unto, and at last death itself; and that not only men grown up, who have actual sins, but even new born Infants, will not this plainly inform us, That all mankind hath sinned, and is cast out of the favor of God: How can it enter into any man's heart to think, that God the wise Creator, so full of goodness to man, that he made him little lower than Angels, should yet make him more miserable than all creatures? It was Theophrastus his complaint, when he lay a dying,

Yea, all the Heathens, even the most learned of them, complained much concerning this Theme of man's misery, being never able to satisfy themselves in the cause of it; But now by the Scripture we see it's no wonder, the race of mankind is thus adjudged to all misery, seeing it's all guilty of sin before God; so that if there had been no actual sins committed by the sons of men, yet the ground would have been cursed to bring forth briars and thorns, man would have been miserable and mortal: So that this doth not only teach us, there is such a sin, but that it was so heinous and abominable in the eyes of God, that no sin hath ever been punished like this.

SECT. III.

THirdly, Those relics of the Image of God, and some implanted dictates and notions, with a natural conscience accusing and excusing; These do demonstrate, that there was a glorious Image of God in us, but we have lost it. There is something in all men by nature, whereby they are convinced of a God, have remorse upon sin, and tremble much when they are dying; Now what are all these but the rubbidge and obscure remnants of that holy estate we were created in; So that as when any famous building, or great City are brought to ruin, yet commonly there remain some fragments or others, that witness there was such a famous place once: Thus those implanted Dictates of conscience, those natural apprehensions about a God, though they are very confused, and cannot be a star to guide us to Christ, yet they remain as monuments of that spiritual excellent building. It is true, Illyricus out of his vehement desire to aggravate original sin in us, denieth that those common notions about God, or good and evil, are naturally in us, but that they are de novo infused into us by God, and manifested, wherein also he hath some followers, but if such natural dictates remain in the Devils, which is plain, because otherwise they could not be so tormented for their wickedness as they are, why should it be denied to man? The Socinian also denieth any implanted notion about a God, and that the knowledge of him comes by observation of the creatures, and also by education and tradition, but experience as well as Scripture confuteth this, in which respect Tertullian said, O animan naturaliter Christianum! It's true, some more orthodox dispute, Whether the faculty of the understanding in its operations only continueth, or that there are habitual principles inhering in it? It is enough that there remaineth a conscience in man, which like Job 's messenger can inform us, though very obscurely of that sad loss which hath befallen us.

SECT. IV.

FOurthly, This may evidently convince us of our original pollution, That it is far worse with man, now in respect of the end, he was created unto, and the nature he was constituted in, then with any other creatures. This plainly argueth man's apostasy from God, for all creatures in their kind live proportionably, and obtain their end, which is usefulness and serviceableness to man, only man neither liveth according to his nature rightly considered, and withal doth miserably fall short of that glorious end for which God made him. If you consider man in his nature, he is a reasonable creature, and so ought to walk according to the principles of reason, to do nothing against the rules thereof; now all men are by original corruption, become like brute beasts that have no understanding; Hence the Scripture doth so often compare them to beasts, yea prefer beasts before them; The sluggard is commanded to go to the Ant, Israel is said to be worse than the Stork that knoweth her season, and the Ox or Ass that know their masters crib: Why doth the Scripture speak thus, but to show that beasts do in their kind surpass man in his kind? Every wicked man is called a fool, and a simple one, because when he sinneth, he goeth against the dictates of true reason, and this is the condition of all men till regenerated by grace, they do not consider what God made them for, or why they have immortal and rational souls. Take the Drunkard, is not he worse then a beast? doth the beast drink anymore then will suffice nature? insomuch that we may truly say all by nature are become spiritual monsters, for as a monster in nature is, when nature is deficient or redundant in her operations, and so worketh not regularly: Thus also when a man doth not keep the rules of reason, and live as one who hath a rational soul, he becomes like a monster, and so ought to abhor himself: Oh then loath thyself and say, every creature liveth like its kind! The horse doth as an horse should do, the ox as the ox should do, but I miserable and wretched sinner do nothing that a man should do! Again, The beasts, and so all creatures, although they are subject to vanity, and groan under a curse, because of man's sin, yet they do not fall short of the end, they were intended for. God he made man to serve him, and all the creatures to serve man, and thus they do still, though a great part of this dominion man bath by his sin justly deprived himself of, yet the Sun giveth light to him; The earth brings forth her fruit for him, some living creatures are daily slain for his food and clothing; what shoals of fish, and flocks of birds do at some seasons of the year present themselves, as if they should say, here we appear to serve you; and this is the utmost perfection they were made for. But come to man, he was made to serve the Lord, therefore did God furnish him with all these mercies, that he might the more willingly and diligently obey him, but instead of God, he serveth God's enemies, he serves sin in the Insts thereof, he serveth the devil in his desires: Thus of all the creatures God made next to the devils, man is in the most bitter and undone estate: So that this must needs stop thy mouth against all cavils, if there be no original sin, Why is man worst in his kind than any other creature in their kind? Yea, see the most savage beasts agree well enough with one another, one Wolf with another, one Tiger with another, yet one man is a Wolf and a Devil to another; When did you ever hear of a company of Bears going out to fight with another company of Bears? Yet what is more ordinary than to hear of one army of men, going out to kill and slaughter another? Can we say, God made man thus vile and sinful? What intolerable blasphemy would it be? Oh then let us roll ourselves in the dust! Let us say, we are not worthy the name of men, we are become beasts, yea, worse than beasts: Say not, This is to vilify and to debase man too much; No, this is the only way to perform that duty, which not only Scripture, but even Heathens have admired, as revealed from Heaven, Nosc • teipsum, Know thyself; Doth not that expression in Job abundantly confirm this, Chap. 11. 12. Vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild asses colt? A colt, the asses-colt, and a wild asses-colt, such a stupid senssess thing is man, though he would be wise.

SECT. V.

5. MAn is originally defiled, Because that which is the most noble and excellent part in him, is captivated and enslaved to what is inferior unto it. This was so greatly considered of by the Platonists, as you heard, that therefore they thought the souls of men had committed some crimes, for which they were adjudged to bodies as unto prisons and dungeons; How comes it about, that the rational part of a man, which was made to be the guide, and called by Philosophers the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , that it should follow after the inferior lusts of the soul, That this candle should be put not under a bushel, but a dunghill; That the elder should serve the younger; That the tail should lead the head; we are not carried out to what reason by the word of God commands, but by what every sinful affection doth suggest. Those that say, this rebellion between the mind and affections, was from the Creation, that God made man with this contrariety in himself, must needs make God the author of sin, but God saw everything that he had made, and it was exceeding good; If then thou doubtest, whether this universal pollution be upon thee, look into thyself, observe the rebellion, the repugnancy there, unto all light, whether natural or supernatural, and this will make thee readily confess it.

SECT. VI.

6. THe incurvation of the soul unto all earthly and worldly objects, this also makes it plain, we came with original sin into the world. The very making of the body different from other creatures who look downwards, doth denote that therefore God created us, that both soul and body should look upwards. But is not every man's soul till rectified by grace bowed down to these earthly vanities, no more able to soar up to Heaven, than the worm can fly. Now this is a plain sign of thy sinful apostate condition. It is one of Hippocrates his rules, That when a sick man catcheth inordinately at the feathers of his pillow, or at straws, and any such light matter, it is a sign of death; and truly to see men by nature so immoderately snatching and catching at these worldly things, argue, thou art a dying, a perishing man, unless God's grace doth interpose: As the Sun, though with its beams it shine upon the earth, yet it is not thereby defiled; So man ought, though he meddle in all outward affairs, though he marry, though he buy and sell, and use this world, yet he ought not in the least manner to soil and pollute his soul thereby. But as the body deprived of the soul falls prostrate on the ground, thus doth man deprived of God's Image, so that he is never able to get above the creatures, but is vassaliz'd to them.

SECT. VII.

THe work remaining is, to give further reasons (the Scripture being first laid as a foundation) to demonstrate this truth, That we are by nature originally defiled; For though man be unwilling to be found thus a sinner, and the entertaining of this truth seemeth to strike down all the hopes and comforts that a natural man hath. Believe this, and all men, (as in respect of defect) are so many damned men, so that flesh and blood must needs deny, cavil, distinguish, and turn itself into a thousand shapes ere it will acknowledge it, yet look we into ourselves diligently, and compare ourselves with the glass of God's Word, we cannot but say, That all we have heard by the Ministers, all that Sermons and Books tell us, come not up to what we feel in ourselves; So that as the Apostle, when he said, This corruption shall put on incorruption, he did cutem tangere, did lay his hand upon his body, as Tertullian thought, so do thou strike upon thy thigh, and smite upon thy breast, and say, within this body, lieth a soul covered all over with sin, and damnable guilt. To assure us more herein, these further discoveries may be added.

First, That spiritual death in sin, which we are all plunged into, whereby we do become altogether senseless and stupid, as to any spiritual concernment. The death threatened upon Adam 's transgression was spiritual, as well as corporal, and therefore Ephes. 2. We are said to be dead in sins till Christ quicken us by his power; Now this is a full discovery that we have lost God's Image, and all spiritual life, otherwise why should not spiritual life be as quick, active, and moving towards spiritual objects, as our natural and corporal life is to corporal things, Why is it, that when any do threaten corporal death and outward misery we are afraid, and will give all we have for this corporal life? But when the Devil tempts, and the world tempts, so that we are in danger of loosing eternal life, we have no trembling or horror taking hold upon us. Nebuchadnezzar made a law, that whosoever would not worship his Image, should be cast into a fiery furnace, and unless the three Worthies, none refused; so great a matter is the fear of a natural death. But hath not God threatened hell which is ten thousand times more dreadful then that fiery furnace, to everyone that goeth on wickedly? yet none trembleth because of this; Is not this plain then, that thou art a dead man in sin? Further, concerning our corporal life, how solicitous are we about the preserving of it? what carking and caring for meat and raiment? what labor for the back and the belly? Is not the greatest employment in the world for these two things, and all this is that our frail perishing life may yet be continued? But do men naturally manifest any such thoughts and diligence about the means of a spiritual life? The preaching of the Word, the Ordinances, these God hath appointed to be spiritual food, by these our heavenly life is maintained; these are the oil, to keep that lamp burning: But do not all men by nature loath these? are they not a burden to them? do they ever pant and thirst or hunger after these things, as men do for meat or drink? now, why is all this, but because we have no spiritual life in us? So that if you do consider the insensibleness and stupidity of every natural man, as to things of an heavenly aspect, you need no more to persuade you, that God's Image is lost, and we are dead in sin. When the body needeth food needeth raiment, all is supplied, but so thy soul needeth Christ, needeth grace, and there is not the least thought to have a supply: yea we are not only dead in sin, but have been a long while thus dead, and if she said of Lazarus, Joh. 11. 39. Lord by this time he stinketh, for he hath been dead four days. How much more may we say this in a spiritual sense of thee, who (it may be) hast been dead forty or fifty years.

Secondly, This may be further enlarged by a consectary from the former; will not this abundantly declare we are all over sinful, Because heavenly things are not such objects of delight and pleasure to us, as carnal and worldly things are. This is a palpable demonstration of our wretched pollution, That we cannot feel any sweetness, any pleasure, or joy in those things which immediately concern God: Adam in his state of integrity, was like Jacob 's ladder, the foot whereof was on the earth, but the top reached to heaven: Thus though Adam 's inferior part the body, was exercised in these earthly things, yet his soul the more sublime part, that was fixed in heaven; But now all our su • eableness and communion with heavenly objects is wholly perished; we have hearts enlarged with joy, we are ravished with delights about worldly things, and when brought to any thing that is heavenly, there we are weary, and neither flesh or spirit is willing to such things; yet nature might reach us, that man of all creatures only hath hands, and those not to embrace the earth, but he hath feet to walk and trample upon it. We read of Paul and David, with other godly ones, when recovered in part from the power of this original corruption, what longings and breakings of soul they had after God, and his Ordinances. These things were accounted for sweetness above the honey; and for presciousness above gold; now why should not every man be able to say so as well as they? but because our tastes are wholly distempered, and we are carnal not spiritual. Certainly spiritual objects have in themselves infinite more matter of joy and delight, then any earthly thing can have; who can think there is more sweetness in a drop, then in the ocean? more light in the star, then in the sun? The creature is less then these in comparison of God: May not than even blind men see, that we are all over-plunged into sin? else, why should not God and heavenly objects, which do so far surpass in matter of true delight be more sweet and welcome to us, then all the creatures of the world though put together? Psal. 4▪ 6. Many say, who will show us any good? The natural man finds no delight but in these earthly things oppositely to God. There is a She • ll in his soul, that is always craving and asking, never satisfied; now, why can they not with David as well put forth the following petition, Lord, lift up the light of thy countenance upon us? But because the carnal man finds no more pleasure in spiritual things, then the swine doth in pearls or pleasant flowers: A man that is spiritual having drunk of this water, desireth no other; As the Philosophers say, The matter of the heavens is so fully actuated by the heavenly forms, that it desireth no other, whereas the matter of these sub • unary things is never satisfied but though under one form, yet it still desireth another. Thus the soul possessed of God and Christ, hath so much delight and pleasure that it hath enough, it desireth no change, but the natural man is carried out from one thing to another, from one object to another, first delighting in this, and then in that, it being impossible that Zacchaeus his shoe should sit Goliath 's foot: Thus you see that though a man be restless in his delights, yet he can take pleasure in earthly things, whereas he finds no sweetness, no delight in heavenly things, that are infinitely more precious; So this may demonstrate the loss of God's Image, and our service to original sin in the lusts thereof.

Thirdly, That we are thus originally corrupted, appeareth, in that utter impotency and inability to do any spiritual good: we are not able so much as to think a thought, or send forth an hearty groan, as to our eternal welfare; whereas at first God made Adam right, and thereby endowed him with power to do any thing that was holy, called therefore the Image of God; so happy and blessed was his condition, that he could with delight and joy fulfill the Law of God, feeling no difficulty, nor impediment, but now being dead in sin, we are no more able then dead men to move, or walk in holy things. The Scripture is wonderfully clear in this, though Papists, Arminians and others have endeavored to raise a mist, and obscure the sun beams, Joh. 15. Without me ye can do nothing. Rom. 8. The flesh is eumity against God, 1 Cor. 2. The natural man perceiveth not the things of God, neither can he, where both the act of doing good, and the power also is denied to every man by nature: If therefore every man by nature be dead in sin like a stone, as in respect of any holy impression from God, if he have blind eyes, deaf ears, a foolish heart, as to any heavenly thing, doth not this plainly tell us, that we are all over polluted? It's good for our humiliation to consider how the Scripture describeth a natural man, as wanting all his senses, he hath no eyes to see, no ears to hear, no heart to understand, but is wholly dead, and all this is to show what a wonderful impotency is in man to help himself spiritually; Now this declareth the necessity of preserving this doctrine of original corruption clean and sound; for if we be orthodox here, then also we shall hold the truth of God against foe will and the power of nature in divine things; for these two particulars are like Castor and 〈◊〉 , they always appear together; and what is the design or Secinians, Papists, and Arminians, either in whole or in part, to deny or extenuate original sin? but thereby to make a way to advance their magnificent Diana. their free will to holy things, for they evidently see, if original sin be such an universal, deep and inward pollution of the whole soul, even the will as well as other parts, then their doctrine of the power of nature is pulled up by the very root; Therefore the more fully assure your souls of this truth, by how much the whole body of Divinity depends upon this foundation. Indeed the Scripture is so clear in debasing man as to supernaturalls, and giving all to the grace of God, that we may wonder how this pride should settle itself in man's heart, and that he doth not tremble to speak or write anything, whereby the grace of God may be diminished, and man exalted; he that cannot make a white hair black, he that cannot add one cubit to his stature, will yet think to make a polluted soul holy, and add many cubits of grace to his spiritual stature.

Fourthly, Our original corruption will yet further appear, If you take notice of that universal ignorance and dullness that is upon a man's understanding, knowing no saving thing about God or Christ, if it be not revealed: Insomuch that the necessity of Scripture-light, of revealed-light to conduct us to heaven, doth without contradiction, prove that by nature; we are (as Paul said) Ephes. 4, darkness, even darkness itself; Look over the generation of mankind, that are the wisest and most learned, where the light of God's word hath not shore upon them, Rom. 1. 1. The Apostle there informeth us, that the doctrine of the Gospel was foolishness to them, that professing themselves to be wise they became foolish in their imaginations, what Aristotle or Pleto could ever by natural reason understand anything of Christ? If then we lay this for a sure foundation, (though some would absurdly question it) That without the knowledge of Christ and faith in him, none can be saved; And that none by nature can come to this knowledge, then it followeth undeniably, that damnable ignorance doth cover the face of our souls, as darkness did the deep at first, That there is a very Chaos in our souls: Oh then that we had knowledge to know our ignorance! Oh that the dark dungeon we are shut up in might not be so pleasing to us! In that the Gospel is called a mystery; In that flesh and blood doth not reveal the things of Christ to us, this showeth our wretched estate in sin; Adam had knowledge about the means rending to everlasting happiness, otherwise God would have made him imperfect; but now we are ignorant of Christ the way: All that live in the Church, had it not been for revealed light, would have groped in darkness, as we see all Heathens and Pagans do: If therefore you would see, what our natures are of themselves, consider the Sanages, the Indians, the Pagans of the world, who as to any right knowledge of God have little more then brute beasts; we cannot so well see what man's nature is of itself, who live in the Church, because there is the light of the Gospel, and many times godly education, and Christian institution of us while young doth restrain sin, otherwise if there were not this planting and watering of us, we should not know anymore about Christ, then the most rude Barbarian that is; Take off then those ornaments, those supernatural additaments that God hath put upon us, who live under the Gospel, and then our nakedness and deformity will plainly appear.

Fifthly, The woeful captivity and bondage we are in to Satan by nature, doth also manifest our original defilement; For were we not cast off by God, did not sin make us like hell, why could so many legious of Devils dwell in us? Eph 2, The prince of darkness, the god of this world, is said, to rule in the hearts of the disobedient, and such we are all by nature; yea, we are, till regenerated in the snares of the Devil, and taken captive at his will. Therefore when Christ sent his Disciples to preach, he said, He saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven: Thus the Devil hath his throne in all men's hearts, till Christ who is stronger cast him out. It is trne, by wicked and ungodly customs in sin, The Devil taketh further possession, as we see in Ananias, and in Judas, The Devil is said to enter into him after the eating of the sop, not but that he was before in him, only he had more power and strength over him; Thus he doth possess the souls of all that are born till regenerated, and by frequent actings of sin, he settleth his kingdom more firmly.

Lastly, This may fully discover our original pollution, In that even in respect of natural things, we are much weakened and debilitated; our understandings are not able to find out even natural truths; Insomuch that there was a famous sect of the Academics, who held, That nihil scitur, we know nothing at all. Even Aristotle, who is profanely made to be by some, the same in naturals, which Christ was in supernatural; yea Scaliger calls him, Vltimus Musarum conatus, as if nature herself could not send forth a greater Artist, yet his known saying (That our understandings in respect of the celestial bodies especially, are but noctuae ad solemn, owls to the Sun,) makes it appear, that we are ignorant of more things, then we know: yea, and which is greatly to be bewailed, The more learning and parts men have had, they have been more mischiefed by them; insomuch that mere Idiots, and natural fools, have been less wicked then they: so that human abilities, when polished by arts, have been like wine to a feavourish man, like a sword in a mad man's hand: neither did God ever choose many of the wise men of the world, Austin being filled with human eloquence, this was a great prejudice to him in embracing Christianity; he contemned the simplicity of the Scripture, dedignabar esse parvulus, as he confessed: And Scotus, who for his acute understanding, was called, Doctor subtilis, yet the great Historian Jovius, giveth this censure of him, That he was ad ludibrium Theology natus, born to make Religion a scorn and a reproach, because he could dispute every point, probably on all sides, And memorable is that of profound Bradwardine, who before he was cordially affected with the grace of God, confesseth, That when he heard Paul's Epistles read, he did despise them, because Paul had not metaphisicum ingenium, a metaphysical head. Thus you see that even those poor abilities that with much labor are attained, make us the worse for them.

SECT. I.

T He Apostles chief scope in this Chapter, is to corroborate and establish one main Fundamental Article and Principle in Religion, which is the Resurrection of the dead. This Truth, as it is Fiducia Christianorum, the very confidence and life of believers, so it hath been opposed and denied by many, as most absurd and fabulous: Insomuch that what Tertullian said concerning Christ, who is God, becoming man, and crucified for us, Prorsus credibile, quia impossible, the same may be applied to this Truth: Therefore it is the Object of Faith, because reason cannot comprehend it. Now among many other Arguments by which the Apostle statuminateth this Doctrine, Christ's Resurrection is most palmarious: For although to Heathens this Argument would not be valid, yet to the Corinthians, who either doubted of, or denied the Resurrection, but did not wholly abandon the Christian Faith, this reason would be very cogent: So that the Corinthians either doubt or infidelity in this Point, hath made this Doctrine the more unquestionably true, so that doubts and heresies have been over-ruled by God, to make Truth more orient, like the file to rusty iron, and like the shaking of the Tree, which maketh the root faster and deeper.

But whereas the Doubt may be, Wherein lieth the strength of this Argument? Christ is risen, therefore his members, or all that are his shall rise (For you must know the Apostle's Arguments do principally prove the blessed and happy Resurrection of the Just, the Wicked they shall rise, but by the power of Christ, as a Judge, not as members united to him their Head.) At the twentieth verse he giveth us a twofold reason of that connection:

First, Christ is the first-fruits; now the first fruits sanctified the whole crop of Corn, and although they were taken before the rest, yet this did assure, that all would be taken in its time: Thus Christ being the first fruits did sanctify all his people, and his Resurrection was an assured pledge of theirs.

The second Reason (which is pertinent to my matter in hand) is from the Collation between Adam and Christ; As Adam was the common root and principle of death to all that come from him, so is Christ the common Head of Salvation and Life to all who are of him. The Apostle, Rom. 5. maketh such a Comparison between Adam and Christ, as two common Principles and Heads, but to another purpose, there it is in respect of spiritual death, ( viz. ) Sin by one, and Righteousness by the other; but here it is principally in respect of temporal Death, and Resurrection by Christ.

The Apostle having thus cleared this Truth, he then enters into a second Debate, (viz.) In what bodies we shall rise? and determining, That it •• eth a corruptible body, but it shall be raised an incorruptible one; It dieth a natural body, but it shall be raised a spiritual.

Last this Distinction of a natural and spiritual body should seem uncouth, and very absurd, he asserteth and confirmeth it by Scripture; And here again in the second place, he taketh up a Collation between the first Adam and the second; and therein we have them compared,

1. In regard of their Condition and State.

2. In respect of their Originals. And

3. In respect of their Qualities and Properties.

This illustration the Apostle is large in, because the strength of his Argument lieth in this, Such as the Principles are, such are the Effects; Such as the Root is, such are the Branches: Now all men have from Adam earthly mortal bodies which will die: Therefore all that are Christ's shall have from him heavenly and spiritual bodies.

Let us diligently open the particulars, wherein we have this Collation between Adam and Christ made, for from hence we shall have a fair occasion to examine, How from Adam we come thus to have his Image upon us? which is the great difficulty in the Doctrine of original sin.

SECT. II.

THe first particular therefore wherein they are compared, is, The state and condition Adam and Christ was made in; Adam 's estate is proved from Scripture, ver. 5. As it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; we have this related, Gen. 2. 7. where God is said, To breath into man's nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. Adam 's body being made out of the dust, and formed thencefrom, was yet without life and motion, therefore God did with him far otherwise than with brute beasts, for He breathed into him the breath of life. This is spoken after the manner of men in a figurative way, we are not to think God took on him the form of a man, and so breathed life into Adam; Neither may we say, This was a particle, or part of the divine Essence, which God communicated to man; But the meaning is, God inspired into him his soul, which gave life, and sense, and motion to the body, by which he becoming a living soul, that is, a living creature; This is Adam 's condition. But as for Christ, who is here called the last Adam, Adam because a common Person, and last, because there is no more to succeed him; This last Adam is said, To be made a quickening Spirit, not but that Christ was man, yea and had such an human Nature, as Adam had like to him in all things, [Sin only excepted] But this is spoken of Christ principally after his Resurrection; For Christ while he lived on earth had an animal body, he needed food and rest, but after his Resurrection, then he had a spiritual body; so that it is in reference to this, that Christ is called a Spirit, but with this Epithet, A quickening Spirit, that is, which giveth life to others; He hath not only life in himself, but he giveth it also to others, and therefore no wonder if he raise those that belong to him.

But seeing Christ is thus a quickening Spirit, it may be said, Why then have the people of God their natural bodies still? If they be in the second Adam, Why are they not as he is?

To this the Apostle answereth, verse 46. That which is natural is first, and afterwards that which is spiritual. It is the will and appointment of God, that the imperfect things should be first, and afterwards that which is more perfect.

In the next place, The Comparison is made between the two Adams in respect of their Originals, The first was of the earth, earthly, his body was made of the dust of the earth: (The Egyptians had some confused knowledge of this, and therefore defined man to be, Animal terrenum e limo natum; Hence in their Feasts, they offered unto their gods an herb that grew in their lakes, to signify what man was.)

But the second man is the Lord from Heaven. This place hath an appearance of some difficulty, for from this Text did some Anabaptists (who revived an old Heresy, ( viz. )

Christ's body was in the Virgin Mary, but not of her, as they affirm, But this is grossly to mistake; For the Apostle doth not intend to make a comparison in the Materials, of which both bodies were compounded, but the Originals from whence they are; The one is from Earth, the other from Heaven, being the Lord of Heaven and Earth. Some indeed have said, This may have some truth, yet Adam was in an extraordinary manner, and that in respect of his body formed by God, called therefore the Son of God, yet he cannot be said to be from Heaven, So that the most solid Interpretation is to understand it of the Person of Christ, and so he is wholly of Heaven, being the true and eternal God; in which respect, John 3. 13. he is said to be The Son of man, which is in Heaven. John 6 38, 41. he is said, To come from Heaven; So that although his body was of the Virgin Mary, yet as God, in which respect he hath his personality, so he is from Heaven

The third and last Collation is in respect of their qualities and properties. The first man is of the earth earthy, in a threefold respect:

1. Because his affections are only to earthly things.

2. Because the place where he is to be is the earth.

3. Because of his mortality, he is to return to dust again.

But the 'second Adam is heavenly in a three-fold contrary respect:

1. He is heavenly in regard of his life and conversation.

2. In regard of the place where now he is sitting in Heaven at the right hand of God, and thus all Christ's members shall be heavenly, for they likewise shall be in Heaven forever with the Lord.

3. Heavenly, Because of his immortality, for he shall never die more.

SECT. III.

THus we have the Apostles elegant opposition between the first and second Adam, and my Text is a Conclusion from the former Discourse. Some have read the words preceptively, as if the sense were, As we have born the Image of the first Adam, so let us bear the Image of the heavenly; But the most solid Interpreters read it affirmatively, as in the Text we render it; and this seemeth to be more consonant, because the Apostle is still in the Didactical and Doctrinal point about our Resurrection; The particle 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is for the, and so, better translated illatively, Therefore.

The Text then affirmeth two things:

1. That all bear the Image of Adam who came from him.

2. Those who are of Christ shall bear his Image.

Having therefore treated of original sin, the Quod sit and the Quid sit, we come to that which is deservedly thought the most difficult and hard to conceive and explain in this point, Which is the manner of propagating it, and this shall be soberly and modestly discussed out of these words. For from the 45 ^th verse, Austin takes an occasion to dispute (as Pareus relateth) about the souls traduction from Adam, as well as the body. Although to speak the truth, that which is principally and apparently affirmed by the Apostle here, is, That we have mortal bodies propagated to us from Adam, which is easier to conceive of, then to have also sinful souls from him, yet because the Text speaketh of Adam 's Image in us, and that doth necessarilly suppose a sinful soul, as well as a mortal body. We shall therefore declare the truth as of them conjoined together. Observe

That all who come of Adam do thereby bear his Image: Our natural descension from him, maketh us to be wholly like him; when he was corrupted. That as those who are of Christ are renewed after his Image in righteousness and true holiness, so all of Adam are corrupted in sin and ungodliness.

SECT. IV.

WHat this Image is, you have heard already at large, our main work is to examine, How we come to be made partakers of it? Yet it is good summarily to say something of this Image of Adams we all bear about with us. And

First, Man who was not only made after the Image of God, Gen. 1. 26. but is said absolutely to be the Image of God, 1. Cor. 11. 7. by his apostasy became not only like the beasts that perish, but also like the Devils that are damned. Insomuch that now this glorious Image of God being defaced: If you ask, Whose Image and Superscription he beareth? We answer of corrupted sinful and mortal Adam, an Image we are to be ashamed of, and to mourn under all the days of our life; Who can look upon man, but may behold sin and misery, folly and mortality? Now this Image of the first Adam comprehended the things of the soul and the body. In the body we have pains, diseases, and a necessity, of death at last; In the soul there is horrible blackness and confusion upon it, that as devils are represented in the most horrid and black manner that can be, such things are our souls now become. Although therefore the Text speaketh of Adam 's Image in the bodily part, that we are thereby corruptible and mortal, and so need a Resurrection to make us happy, yet I shall chiefly speak of this Image in the soul, as it is infected and polluted with sin from him. This is the Image we bear, but there is exceeding great comfort to the godly, that they being in Christ the second Adam, they shall be made perfectly conformable to him, they shall bear that heavenly Image, and at last shall have no cause to complain, that their souls are bowed down with sinful, earthly and heavy affections, weighing us down to the ground; were it not for hope of this at our Resurrection, the Doctrine about Adam's fall, and our hurt thereby would utterly discourage us; but there is a second Adam as well as a first, if he had been the first and last too, that no Adam would have answered him in the way of righteousness and life, as he was in the way of sin and death; nothing but horror and damnation could have taken hold of us; Let us be more deeply affected with the first Adam, and so shall we come more highly to prize and esteem the second Adam.

Secondly, Adam 's Image as it is sinful in the general, is not only born by us, but there seemeth to be a stamp and impression upon us of those very sins he committed. As those women who have inordinate desire after some things, do sometimes leave marks and impressions thereof upon the body: Thus it is spiritually. Those very sins which Adam particularly committed in eating the forbidden fruit, all men seem most universally to incline unto. As

1. A curiosity and affectation of knowing that which is not to be known. An inordinate desire was in Eve to eat of the Tree of knowledge, because the Devil told her, It would make her wise, therefore she must eat of it; And is not this a very natural sin in all, a curiosity in knowledge? Do not all desire to eat of the Tree of knowledge, but few of the Tree of life, especially Scholars, and such who are busied in learning? What an incurable itch is there to be wise above Scripture, and to know such things God hath hidden? And this is a good Item to us to content ourselves with sobriety, in questioning, How Adam 's sin can be ours? How the soul can come to be polluted? To desire to know this, is like the eating of the forbidden fruit: While thou art thus curious, remember Adam 's sin, that thou art acting it, while thou enquirest, how we are guilty of it?

A second thing remarkable in the first sin was Their mincing about the word of God, yea plainly lying, that God had said, they should not touch it, which, though some say, is put for eating; Others, that Eve did say so for caution sake; Whence Ambrose hath a good saying, Nihil quod bonum videtur, &c. we must add nothing to God's precept, though it seem very good, and make much for godliness; yet others make Eve plainly to lie, and so to accuse God, as if he envied them further knowledge; Now this sin of lying, how natural is it? We see it in children, before they can move their feet to go, their tongues can stir to lie, as if they had been taught, they are so subtle in it.

3. Adam did excuse and cover his sin as much as may be, putting it off from himself to others, and herein also we have a natural resemblance of him, for how prone are we to clear ourselves, to lay the fault anywhere, rather than on our selves? Thus we bear Adam 's Image.

SECT. I.

T He next work is to consider of the manner how we come to bear this Image. As for the body, to have a mortal and a corruptible one from Adam is easily to be conceived, because the body is causally and seminally in the first man, so propagated from man to man but this hath deservedly been acknowledged the hardest knot to untie in all this doctrinal truth about original sin, how the soul can come to be polluted if created from God. In this Argument, The Pelagians did much triumph, and Austin was so puzzled with it, that he many times confesseth his ignorance at least his doubt in this point, yea (he saith) That he could neither legendo, erando, or ratiocinando, find out how the propagation of original sin, and the creation of the soul could be defended together, But of this more in its time.

SECT. II.

The great Objections that are against asserting the Souls Creation.

IT is certain that here are dangerous rocks on both sides, for if we say, the soul is created, then seeing God cannot but make everything holy, he cannot make a sinful soul, how then can it be infected with sin? Again, if the soul be created, then it was not virtually in Adam, then it could not be said to sin in him, because it was never in him, for why did not Christ sin in him, but because he was not seminally in him, and if the soul was never radically in Adam, how can it be polluted, is it just with God to punish that with Adams sin which never sinned in Adam? If it be said, that the soul when united to the body, doth from that receive infection, as if pure liquor were poured into a stinking vessel, This will not solve but increase the doubt, for a vessel indeed may pollute liquor. because they are both bodies and so act by a corporal contact, but the soul is a spirit, and its a rule (say they) received by all, that a body cannot act upon a spirit, Besides, sin is properly in the soul, and must from that be conveyed to the body: The body, why without a soul, is not capable of sin no more then a brute beast; It hath no reason, it is under no law, how then can that communicate sin to the soul, when it hath none at all itself? Thus you see what strong cords here are, even that a Sampson can hardly break.

SECT. III.

Objections against holding that the Souls come by Generation, Multiplication, &c.

THen on the other side, if you think that the only way to maintain the propagation of original corruption, is to hold, that the souls are not immediately created of God, but either by generation or multiplication, or some other way. Then here also are more dangerous rocks, for if we hold this, we seem to contradict some strong Texts of Scripture, that maketh God the immediate giver of the soul. Besides, we must then necessarily make it material yea though they who hold the traduction of the soul will not grant that consequence, yet it cannot be avoided, but what is generable is corruptible, and so the soul must be mortal, and that rule of Aquinas seemeth to carry much evident light with it, Quod dependet a materiâ quoad fieri, dependet quod existere. This rule holds true in everything else, and why should it be denied about the soul, if the soul in its beginning depends upon the body, it cannot continue separate from it, and so be immortal.

SECT. IV.

THus you see there is a veil upon the face of this Doctrine: But although modesty and sobriety be necessary in this point, as also in the Doctrine of the Trinity and Christ's incarnation, yet as in them its necessary to search the Scriptures, and so far to improve the light shining from them; that we may be able to convince heretical gainsayers; Thus it is also in this truth, so much knowledge as is not forbidden yea as is revealed in the Scripture, let us thankfully acknowledge, and humbly, yet with diligence and constancy improve against those, who by reason of these difficulties would overthrow the fundamental Truth itself, we must not for some seeming Objections forsake the clear Texts of Scripture; It commonly falleth out, that almost in every great and fundamental truth in Religion, as the Doctrine of the Trinity, the Doctrine of Justification. There is some Objection above all the rest, that hath more difficulty in it then ordinary, and so it is here; but let us not be afraid to get Canaan, because of some Anakims in the way.

SECT. V.

The several Ways that learned Men have gone to remove the aforesaid Difficulties.

TO guid you therefore in this wilderness to it, let us consider what are the several ways that many either of learned or of corrupt judgments have said to the clearing of this, And

First, There are and have been some in the Church following Origen, who also followed Plato, deriving many opinions from him, who did thus think to make this truth easy, By holding that the souls were created long before the bodies, and that upon their evil, and sin committed, they were adjudged to be put into bodies, and so from hence it is, that they say, man is so propense to all evil; Therefore they will not say, That the souls of men are either by traduction, or immediate creation and infusion into the body, but that they were created long before the body, and while preexistent before it, they deserved to be put into this dark prison of the body, There was one Vincentius Victor, according to his name, bold and audacious, who disliked Austin for his cunctation and deliberation in the point of the traduction of the soul, which occasioned Austin to write four Books De origin animae, Now this Vincentius he affirmed, That the soul was created before the body, and did deserve to be made part of that man, who is a sinner, yea that it did deserve to be made peccatrix a sinner. Some have also thought, that this was a general received opinion amongst the Jews; and they prove it from that question proposed to Christ, concerning the man born blind, yea they were Christ's Disciples that did make that question; so that it seemeth they were still infected with that vulgar error, for Joh. 92, They say, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he should be born blind? They ask, whether the sins of the man's parents, or his own sins made him to be born blind, now he could not have any sins before he was born, unless his soul did preexist before his body, and it seemeth the Pharisees concluded, that they were his own sins, for they say ver. 34. Thou wast altogether born in sins. They did not (happily) mean original sin, for they say sins, which must be actual sins, either his own, or his parents.

But this opinion is so wicked and absurd, that to name it is enough to refel it; and for this monstrous figment might Origen be called Centaurus, as well as for others. Only two things are to be said to it.

First, If souls for sins acted were adjudged to their bodies, how is it that the Scripture giveth that command of, Increase and multiply? how is it that children, and life are made blessings? certainly to be kept in a prison, or adjudged thereunto is a curse not a blessing, But

Secondly, This opinion doth not at all heal the wound, that the mentioned Objection giveth; for the doubt is how our souls are infected, because of Adam, if they were not causally in him? And this speaketh to another matter, that they sinned before they were incarnated, and therefore have such a troublesome and noisome lodging.

Again this contradicts the Apostle, and doth indeed take away the subject of the question, for Rom. 5. The Apostle maketh Adam 's disobedience to be the cause of all the sin that we have as soon as we are born, It is not then the souls sinning before its union to the body, but Adam the first man, and the common head in whom we all sinned; and seeing the souls of men were 〈◊〉 Adam, as their bodies are, the stone still remaineth unremoved.

In the next place, Therefore there are those, of a later hatch, but few, yet would be, if not in the number of the first worthies, yet of the second, Papists I mean; Pighius and Catharinus, against whom the Papists do as largely dispute in this controversy of original sin almost, as they do against the Protestants. These lay down their opinion in two things.

First, That the soul of a man cometh into the world pure and holy without any inherent filth of sin, and that till there be actual sins, there is nothing in man but what is of God, and for this they bring all the Arguments, which the Pelagians of old use to do, But then

In the second place, That they may not be anathematized as pelagianizing. They say, Adams actual disobedience is made our sin by imputation, so that they deny any original sin inherent in us, only all the original sin we have is Adams first sin of disobedience, which is made ours, hence they deny that every one hath his proper original sin, as if there were as many original sins as persons born; but they say, Adams actual disobedience, being made ours, is the one original sin of all mankind. Thus as one sun serveth to enlighten all the stars, and as some Philosophers say, that there is one intellectus agens, common and universal to all men, so they make one original sin to be common to all, and this only Adams posterity is guilty of. This opinion they press, as hereby making everything easy and clear; Then there needeth no disputation about the original of the soul, or how it can be infected, if this, be true (say they) then here is no occasion for these intricate disputes about the propagation of original sin, To which the most learned are never able to give a satisfactory Answer? Although this opinion of imputation doth no ways remove the doubt about the Creation of the soul, for if the soul be by Creation, how cometh Adam 's sin to be imputed to man born of Adam, if his soul was never causally in Adam? so that the difficulty doth still continue as great notwithstanding this opinion. But as this opinion hath some truth in it, so also much more error, and therefore though it be sweet in the mouth, yet it proveth wormwood in the belly: The truth is this, That Adams actual sin is made ours by imputation; this must be constantly affirmed, because denied by those, who also deny the imputation of Christ's righteousness, as if thereby we were justified; we grant therefore, that Adams one sin is made all mankind's: Hence the Apostle doth still speak of one man (though there be many immediate parents) by whom we are not only made sinners, but in whom also we did sin; and this doth arise wholly from God's ordination and appointment of it: for although Scoto, and others, do call the Covenant in this respect, fabula, a mere fable, yet Suarez doth confess the necessity of it; and indeed it must be, for though Adam had a thousand times over, will • ed that his sin should be the sin of all his posterity, yet they could not have been guilty of it, had not that Covenant involved them: so that if the patrons of this imputation had not stayed here, but acknowledged also an inherent pollution, they would not have been so justly censured. But we have already proved by Scripture, reason, and experience, that mankind is involved in an inherent pollution of their own, as well as guilty of imputed sin: and indeed, how could man be obnoxious to eternal wrath, if there were not damnable matter within, as well as without? can they go to hell with souls pure and holy?

But if this imputation be granted, then the pelagians Objection seemeth to be of force, That as Adams sin could hurt those that have not actually sinned, so Christ's righteousness may profit those that do not believe.

This Objection 〈…〉 rather to be answered, because the Antinomian thinketh from hence, 〈…〉 answerable argument, to prove, that we are justified before we 〈…〉 That the elect are accepted of, having their sins pardoned, 〈◊〉 they do repent, yea before their sins are committed, because we are in 〈◊〉 the second Adam. To this Argument, Austin answered of old the Pelagians, That Christ's righteousness did not profit any but believers, and therefore Infants they were saved alienâ side by the faith of their Parents, Even as we are condemned alieno peccato by the sin of another, although it be so alienum, as that it is also proprium; but this is not satisfactory.

Therefore to the Antinomian we answer, That although we are all said to sin in Adam, and his disobedience is imputed to all, yet the condition, or the medium by which we come to partake of this imputation, is natural generation; and therefore till we have an actual being, we cannot be said to sin in him: potentially indeed we may, but natural generation (supposing God's Covenant as the reason of the conveighance of it in this way, Even as in the state of integrity, the Covenant would have been the cause of transmitting original righteousness to Adams posterity, though natural generation would have been the way of communicating of it) is that only which maketh us actually to participate of his guilt, Therefore it is a feeble thing in a late writer, ( Eire ) to oppose the natural generation or descent from Adam, to the Covenant, for both are requisite, the latter as the cause, the former as the medium. And thus it is in regard of Christ's righteousness, that is the cause of our justification, in Christ we are made righteous, as in Adam sinners, yet the medium to apply this and to make it ours, is faith, so that none are justified till they do believe, as none are condemned for Adams sin till they have an actual being, faith is the same in a supernatural way to partake of Christ, as natural propagation and descent from Adam is to be made a sinner in him, Although we may say truly that Christ doth profit the non -believers, who belong to grace, for by him they are brought to believe, they are brought out of the bondage of sin, only Justification and such Gospel-privileges are actually bestowed upon none till they do believe, we have not time to proceed in the discovery of other ways and opinions of the learned to answer this doubt, only thus much we have heard, that may make us therefore to bewail original sin, that we are in such a dark ignorance, that we do but grope about the propagation, had Adam continued in integrity, he would not have only communicated righteousness to his posterity, but they would also have certainly known the manner how, but now we are wholly miserable and know not exactly the manner how, we know little about the soul, so that the soul which only is knowing in man knoweth very little of itself, of its nature, of its original, like the eye that seeth other things but not itself. Let us then be more solicitous about our going out of the world, then how we came into it. Be more desirous to come out of this pit, then to stand wondering how thou didst fall into it, dost thou not observe more, ready to inquire curiously about the one, then daily to pray about the other.

SECT. V.

HItherto the expedients thought upon, to ease that great difficulty about the propagation of original sin, have appeared very improbable, and in some respect very absurd, like unwise Chyrurgians, not healing, but vexing the wound worse: We shall now proceed to some more probable ones, and dispatch them with convenient speed, lest you should think these are such 〈◊〉 upon which no grapes can grow, of more difficulty then usefulness; although you shall find, that even in this wilderness we may meet with M • ona; The truth discussed will not only be for doctrinal Information, 〈◊〉 doctrinate Application: The next therefore that I shall instance in, is 〈…〉 of those who hold, The soul is not by the immediate Creation of God, but 〈◊〉 , or multiplication; and this they are so confident in, That they 〈◊〉 Doctrine of original corruption cannot be maintained, unless we affirm so: Thus you heard Austin affirming, That neither by reading, prayer, or disputing could he find out, how one could be defended without the other, It is true Bellermine saith,

so also Arminius (Thes. pri. de primo peccato. ) maketh the dispute about the original of the soul, in the matter of the propagation of this hereditary defilement, unuseful and needless; But certainly, the clearing of the souls original is very influential into this point, especially because we are forced to it by the adversaries of this truth; for it seemeth very probable, that Austin would readily have believed the immediate creation of every of every soul, but that the dispute about original corruption was the remora: for he regarded not any other Objection. This opinion then, That the soul cometh originally from the parents; as well as the body, hath had its grave, and learned abettors. Tertullian of old, who wrote a book ( De animâ); And as for Austin, it is true, he did not defend this opinion, neither did he deny it, he wrote four Books, ( De origin animae, ) against one Vincentius Victor, who blamed Austin for his hesitancy in this point; and in those Austin doth still persist in the same doubt, and doth answer those Arguments, which are usually brought out of the Scripture, yet so as that he doth not determine against the souls Creation, but desired stronger Arguments, and therefore doth rebuke that young man for his bold presumption, in determining that controversy so confidently. Austin also (in his tenth Book upon Genesis ad literam ) doth show the same doubting mind within him, as also (in his Epistle to Jerome ) wholly about the original of the soul, wherein he doth earnestly desire of Jerome, that he would teach him and satisfy him in this point by strong and sure evidence, likewise he maketh the original of the so •• , the subject of this Epistle to Optatus. It appeareth that Austin did more incline to hold the Creation of the soul, therefore he saith to Jerome, That although none can by wishing make a thing to be true, yet if it could he would by wishing have the Doctrine of the Creation of the soul to be the truth: No wonder that Austin thus doubted, seeing Jerome saith, the greatest part of the western Doctors were for the traduction of the soul; But the eastern the greek Fathers, they did generally hold, the immediate Creation of it. In the latter days of the Church, since the Reformation, there have also been eminent and able Divines, asserting the traduction of the soul from the parents, and thereby original sin: Vostius mentioneth Johnius, and Marnixius: The Lutheran Divines seem generally to be of this opinion as appeareth by Brechword and Meisner; The latter whereof relateth of Luther, that he should say, He would never trouble the Church about any opinion about the original of the soul, yet his private opinion was, that it was not by Creation; and they do pitch on this, as holding it most convenient to remove all doubts; although Meisner confesseth, there are even unanswerable Objections, if they do hold the generation of it from the parents; But I must tell you, that those, who affirm the soul to be from the parents, as well as the body, differ amongst themselves, for some say, it is by eduction out of the matter, that it is generated, as the body: Others, they say, by traduction, that the soul is not corporally begotten, but the parents soul doth multiply the infants soul; even (say they) as you see one candle doth enlighten another.

In the confession of the Ethiopic Faith, as Hornebeck (summa Cont. de Gracis ) relateth, it is affirmed, Omnes sine ullâ hesitantiâ in hâc sententiâ versamur, &c. All of us are in this opinion without any hesitancy, that all our souls come of Adam, as well as our flesh, and that we are all Adam 's seed both in flesh, and soul.

SECT. I.

B Ut whatsoever learned men have thought therein, we may say, That it is against Scripture and true reason, that the soul is either by Eduction or Traduction, but by Introduction, or immediate Infusion, and that by God himself: And I shall instance in some Texts of Scripture, to which, though they give exceptions, yet (I suppose the Truth stands immovable, neither do you think this work needless, for it's worth the while, if there were no other use, but to inform you against a dangerous sect, that are called Mortalists, who hold the soul is nothing but the temperament of the body, and that it is mortal, to which abominable opinion the Socinians also do strongly incline.

The first Text to prove the Creation of the soul, shall be from Eccl. 12. 7. Then shall dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return to God who gave it. This seemeth to be very clear, for he speaketh of every man that dieth, he considers the two essential parts of man, his body, which he calleth dust, because it was made of dust, and then his soul, which he calls a spirit, because of its simple and incorporeal nature, again, which strengthens the Argument, he compareth these two in their contrary or divers originals, The body returneth to the earth, the Spirit unto God that gave it.

Though we would think this might satisfy, yet Austin of old, and those that are Traducians, they say,

But everyone may see these are weak exceptions, as for the later, it's plain, he doth not speak of Adam, but every man that dieth; For having advised the young man to improve his youth for God, he tells him, old-age is coming, and then death, then shall he return, How can this be applied to Adam, who had returned to the earth many hundreds of years before that was spoken? And whereas it is said, That only Adam 's body was made of dust. The answer is easy, That though our bodies be of flesh and bone immediately, yet the remote principle is dust, and therefore Abraham, though his body was not made as Adams, yet he said, 〈◊〉 was but dust and ashes. Thus this Text stands firm for the immediate Creation of the soul. Though (let me by the way give you rightly to understand that later clause) The spirit returneth to him that gave it; The meaning is not, as if the soul of every man was saved, but that it goeth into the hands of God, as a Judge to dispose of it, according to what hath been done in the flesh; As for the next exception, that will be answered in the following Argument; only in the general this may be said, That if God gave the soul only mediately by propagation, then the body might be said to return to him, as well as the soul.

SECT. II.

WE will proceed to a second, and that is from Zech. 12. 1. The Lord which stretcheth forth the Heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. Here we see the Lord's power described by a three-fold effect, the making of the Heavens, the laying of the earths foundation, and making the spirit of man; Now it is plain, that the two former were by God's immediate Creation, therefore the later must be: So that the Context doth evidently show, That God's making of the soul of a man within him, is no less wonderful then the making Heaven and earth. This Text was also of old agitated by Austin in this controversy, and to answer it, he runneth to his old refuge of forming a thing immediately, and by natural propagation: God is not to be excluded (saith he) from having a special hand in giving being to the soul, yet it doth not follow, that therefore it must be by creation out of nothing. To this purpose they bring that of Job, Chap. 10. 10, 11. where Job attributeth the making and forming of his body to God, Hast thou not poured me out like milk, &c? Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh. So Psal. 139. 13, 14, 15. where David acknowledgeth the wonderful wisdom and power of God, in making his body, Then hast curiously wrought me; As the curious needle-woman doth some choice piece; now we cannot from hence prove, that therefore the body is of God by immediate Creation.

But this cannot weaken the Text, for we told you, That the Argument is not merely from that expressing of forming the spirit of man within him, but from the upper two Attributes. Besides the Scripture tells us plainly of what materials the body is formed of, whereas they who hold the propagation of the soul, are extremely straightened and difficultated to say, what the soul is made of; They say, it is not ex animâ, but ab animâ. not of the soul, but from the soul of the Parent, but then are divided amongst themselves when they go to explicate, how the soul hath its being if not from Creation. Some say, it hath its being by a corporal seminal manner, but then it must be a body, which Austin would constantly deny, for he dissents from Tertullian in that, though both held the natural Traduction of the soul, Austin I mean only suppositively, but Tertullian positively, yet he professeth his dissent from Tertullian, who made it a body. This therefore being thought absurd, others they tell us of an incorporeal and immaterial seed from the soul of the Parents, which causeth the soul of the child. To this purpose Tertullian in his book de animâ, distinguisheth of semen animale, which cometh from the soul, and semen corporeum, which cometh from the body. But this may easily be judged as absurd as the former: If therefore the Scripture, when it speaketh of the forming of man's spirit within him, had discovered the materials of which it is formed, as well as when it speaketh of the forming of the body, there would have been some pretence for the Argument. But calling it a spirit, and as you see in the Text, comparing the forming of it with the making of the Heavens and the Earth, this makes the creation of the soul more than probable. Tarnavius the Lutheran would likewise avoid this place ( Comment. in loc. ) by saying the Hebrew word Jahac doth most commonly signify, not an immediate creation out of nothing, for so the Hebrew word Barah doth for the most, but a mediate out of some prejacent matter, yet indisposed; but this Rule being not universal, it hath no strength in it. Besides, the Hebrew word is in the Present tense, who formeth, so that it cannot relate to the making of Adam 's soul at first. Indeed the fore-named Tarnavius doth from the participle Benani draw an Argument against us, saying, It doth not always signify actum secundum, but habitum and potentiam, and so maketh the sense to be God, who hath this power immediately to create the soul, if he will; but all will confess this to be forced; That is more considerable, when he saith, As God in stretching out the Heavens, and laying the foundation of the earth, is not thereby declared to create new Heavens, and a new earth every day; so neither is it necessary that he should create souls daily, but conserve the order appointed, as he doth, about the Heavens. The Answer is easy, therefore do the words relate to the Creation at first with the conservation of them, because new Heavens and new earths are not every day made; but both they and we do acknowledge new souls are every day produced, as often as a man is born, and God at first making Adam 's soul by breathing into it, the same order is still to be conserved.

This Text thus cleared, we may add as proofs also of the like kind, Isa. 42. 5. Though Austin thought by spirit there, might be meant the sanctifying Spirit of God; But that hath no probability. Psal. 33. 15. the Psalmist saith, God hath fashioned the hearts of men alike, or wholly throughout; By which is meant the soul of a man in all its thoughts and workings, because the soul puts forth its vital actions in the heart. That also is remarkable, which yet I find not mentioned by any in this Controversy, Jer. 38. 16. where Zedekiah maketh an oath to Jeremiah, that he will not kill him, after this manner, Thus saith the Lord, who made us this soul, not this body, but this soul, (he putteth that into the oath,) intimating what an heavy sin it would be to kill a man that is innocent, seeing he hath his soul from God. I shall mention but one Text more, and that is in the New Testament, which seemeth clearly to demonstrate the creation of the soul, Heb. 12 9. We have had fathers of our flesh that corrected us, &c. Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of Spirits? I think this Text may put us out of all doubt, God is opposed as a Father to our natural parents; God is called a Father of Spirits, natural parents father of our flesh: Now if our souls did come from our parents, they might be called fathers of our spirits, as well as of our flesh: The Apostles Argument would have no force, if the Creation of the soul by God alone, and the generation of the flesh only by natural parents be not asserted: Thus Numb. 16. 20. as also Chap. 27. 16. God is there styled, The God of the spirit of all flesh, in a peculiar manner. It may be wondered, that though Austin busied himself so much in finding out of this Truth, diligently attending to the Scripture, yet he never mentioned this place. Certainly, this Text might have removed his doubt, and made him wholly positive in affirming the creation of the soul.

That which I find later Writers reply to it, is, That God is called the Father of Spirits in respect of Regeneration, because he sanctifieth and maketh holy.

But the opposition to our fathers of the flesh, evidently confuteth this; and withal they can never show, that God is called a Father of Spirits, or a God of Spirits, but in respect of Creation, not Regeneration. It is true, the word spirit may sometimes be used for a man as regenerate, as flesh is for a man wholly corrupt; but they can never show that the word spirits in the plural number is taken for men regenerate.

Use. Of Exhortation, To quicken up your attention to this Truth, do not think this is unprofitable and useless, that this Question is like those of which Paul complaineth, some doted, foolish and endless; No, it is very profitable, for in knowing the original of thy soul, how it cometh even from God himself, may it not shame thee to make thyself like a beast, as if thou hadst no better soul then they have? Prophanenesse and sottish ignorance do greatly oppose the nature of thy soul. Why do men say in effect, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die, but as if they and beasts were all alike? And why is it that you see so many have no understanding, but that they are like the horse and the mule? Why doth the Scripture compare wicked men to so many kind of beasts, but because they live, as if God had put no rational soul into them? That though in the making of their bodies they differ from beasts, yet in their souls they do greatly agree.

SECT. III.

THus you see we are examining, Whether that Doctrine of the Propagation of souls from parents, be a sure foundation to build upon, in clearing the conveyance of original sin to Adam 's posterity; And we have evidently proved, That the soul hath its immediate creation from God; So that to run to the Sanctuary of the Souls Traduction, would be to implore a dangerous error to assist the Truth; As God needeth not a lie, so neither doth his Truth any error. And indeed, Although I shall not call the Doctrine of the Creation of the soul, an article of faith, because so many learned men have hesitated therein; So that it would be an high breach of charity to commaculate such with the note of heresy, yet we may with Jerome call it, Ecclesiasticum dogma, a Doctrine that the most Orthodox have always received; So that the contrary opinion seemeth to be absurd, as Whitaker well saith. Although Vorstius would make this dispute to be merely philosophical, in his Antibellarm.

Having therefore laid down those Texts, which are a sure pillar of this Truth, we shall add some further reasons, and then make use of this point, which is very fruitful.

SECT. IV.

Arguments from Scripture to prove the Souls Creation.

THe first Reason, which may appear in the defense of the Souls immediate Creation from God, is, From the historical Narration, which Moses makes of the beginning and original of Adam 's soul: For as God when he was to create man, did it in a more transcendent and glorious way, then when he made beasts, or the other creatures; For then he said, Let there be light, and, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creatures, that have life, Gen. 1. 20. And so, Let the earth bring forth the living creatures, the beasts after their kind; But when he comes to make man, then the expression is altered, Let us make man in our Image; and Gen. 2. 7. where we have the manner of the execution of this counsel, it is said, He formed the body of Adam out of the dust of the earth, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; No such thing was done to other creatures: So that you see Adam 's soul was from God immediately, though his body was from the earth; This breathing of life into Adam, was infusing of the rational soul. Some Ancients thought, that it was the bestowing of the holy Ghost upon Adam, and that he had his rational soul before; They compare it with Christ's breathing on his Disciples, whereby was communicated the holy Ghost. Now it is plain, they had their rational souls before.

This is vain, because by the breathing of this life, it's said, Adam became a living soul, so that he was but a dead lump of earth (as it were) before; And indeed this Text is so clear, that I know none of the Adversaries to the souls immediate Creation do deny it: Now then, If the soul of Adam was by creation, Is it not probable that all other souls were in the like manner? What a great disproportion would there be between Adam and us, if his soul was by creation, and ours by generation? Some have questioned, Whether it would not make a specifical difference between Adam and us? But that is not to be affirmed; For Christ as man was of the same species with other men, though his Conception and Nativity were miraculous: But the Argument from the Creation of Adam's soul, to the Creation of ours, though it be not cogent, yet it maketh it more then probable, because God at first did appoint that order, which afterwards was to continue; So he appointed the animate creatures, to multiply in their way, making their bodies and forms to be educed out of the power of the matter, (as Philosophers express it, though very obscurely,) but he did not do so with Adam's soul; Can we think that our souls are less glorious and precious before God (I mean as meet creatures) then Adam's was? It is true, There was a necessity that Adam 's body should be otherwise made then ours, because he was the first Parent, and so he could not be bygeneration; Thus the other living creatures they had their bodies at first out of the earth, or out of the water, not by generation, as afterwards; Thus for the body there was a necessity, but then for the soul there was none at all; Why might not Adam's soul have been with his body out of the prejacent matter, as well as it was with other living creatures? But because the soul of man is of an higher nature coming from God alone: This Argument will appear in further strength, if you consider that Eve, though she was made in such an extraordinary manner out of Adam, yet she had not her soul from him, but her body only; For when he awakened, see what he saith, This is bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh; He doth not say, This is soul of my soul, and yet as Austin in this matter, though doubting, doth well argue,

It is true, some say, it is a synecdochical speech, but that is easier said than proved; No doubt if it had been so, Adam would have expressed it, as being a manifestation of greater unity, then what was in the body only: If you say, But why is it not said then, that God created Eve 's soul, as well as Adam 's? If God had so immediately breathed a soul into her, would not the Scripture have mentioned it? No, that is not necessary, it's enough, that we read what God did to Adam about his soul; and the Scripture saith, Genes. 1. 27. God created man in his Image male and female created he them. Thus you see they were both, as in respect of God's Image made alike: So Chap. 5. 2. Male and female created he them, and called their name Adam; And thus much for the first Reason.

The second is more cogent, and that is taken from the soul of Christ, If Christ had his soul by creation, then we had ours also; The consequence is clear, because Christ is said to be like us in all things, sin only excepted; Hence it is, that he also would have assumed our human Nature in an ordinary way of generation, but that it could not be without sin; If then Christ became like us in all things, wherein sin was not necessarily adherent, then if he had his soul by immediate Creation we had ours also.

This Argument doth divide the Adversaries to the Creation of the soul; For some say,

But the most wary will not say so: Austin in this controversy doth always except Christ's soul, and indeed there is this Argument which may nforce us to it, taken from the comparison that the Apostle maketh between Levi and Christ, affirming Levi did pay tithes in Abraham 's loins, but not Christ, Heb. 7. 9. Now if Christ was every way in Abraham 's loins, as Levi was, then must Christ have paid tithes in Abraham, as well as Levi, and so the Apostles Argument would be without any force.

But it may be (and indeed it is urged by Austin and others,)

To this therefore the solid Answer is, That the reason why Christ did not pay tithes in Abraham, in the Apostles sense, was not because his soul was immediately from God, for so also was Levi 's, but because Christ was of Abraham only, Quoad corpulentam substantiam, not seminatam rationem, his fleshly substance was from Abraham, but not by natural propagation; he was from Abraham only materialiter not effective, whereas Levi was both ways, and hence he cometh short of Christ.

Thirdly, If so be that the soul of the parents did beget or multiply the souls of children, then this would hold also in Angels; for the multiplication of another must needs be acknowledged a perfection, where the subject is capable of it; Certainly, generation of another is not in itself an imperfection. for then in the blessed Trinity, the Son could not be begotten of the Father, but generation as in creatures denoteth imperfection. If then souls may come from souls, why not Angels from Angels? but this is acknowledged by all, That no Angel can produce another, but that there are as many and no more or less then was at first Creation. As for that example of the soul producing another, as we see one candle light another, that is nothing to this purpose; for therefore doth the candle enlighten another, because there is prepared and fitted matter to receive this light; so that its from prejacent materials the light is produced; but how can this be applied to the soul which is wholly spiritual, what preexistent matter that can be made of?

Fourthly, If so be the soul be not by immediate Creation, then it must be material, corporal, and mortal: for although this consequence is denied, yet the evidence of natural reason will commend this. Its traduced (saith Tertullian ) and is a body, yet is immortal: It is by propagation (say the Lutheran Divines) and yet is not a body but a spirit, and immortal: But above all, those abominable Mortalists, they make it to be only the crusis of the body, of which opinion Galen also is said to be, and so they make it mortal: We see then, that its necessary to have a sound judgment about the original of the soul, for the Mortalists have fallen into that deep pit of heresy, because they erred in this first. It is with men, as they say of Fishes, they begin to putrefy in the head first, and so commonly men fall into loose opinions, and then into loose practices: But this rule must be acknowledged, That whatsoever depends upon matter in being, doth also depend upon it in existency: It's Aquinas his rule, (as you heard,) Quicquid dependet à materiâ in fieri, depend quoad esse et existere; That is the reason, why the souls of all beasts are mortal, because they depend upon the matter in being, They cannot be produced but dependently on that, and therefore their souls cannot subsist without their bodies; As it is plain, the souls of men do after death, till the resurrection; So that this Doctrine is injurious, and derogatory to our spiritual and immortal souls.

Fifthly, If souls were not by immediate Creation, but by natural propagation from the parents, then either from the mother alone or from the father alone, or from both together.

This Argument Lactantius of old (as Cerda in Tertull. alledgeth him) formed to himself, and answers; it's neither of those ways but from God. Not from the Father alone, because David doth bewail his mothers co operation hereunto, Psal 51, Iniquity did my Mother conceive me. Not the Mother alone, because the Father is made the chief cause of conveying this original sin by the Apostle, he layeth it upon Adam, more then Eve, though Eve is not excluded; Not from both together, for then the soul must be partible and divisible, part from the Father and part from the Mother, and so it cannot be a simple substance. Under this Argument Meisuer doth labor, and confesseth, it is inexplicable how the soul should come from the parents, though he assaieth to give some satisfaction.

Lastly, There is something even of nature implanted in us, to believe our souls come from God; who hath not almost some impression upon his conscience, to think, that he had not his soul from his parents? even nature doth almost teach us in this thing; Hence the wisest Heathens have concluded of it as Plato, and also Aristotle, who confuteth the several false opinions of Philosophers about the soul, (for it was a doubt as Tertullian (lib de animâ ) expresseth it) whether Aristotle was parasior sua implera, aut aliena inantre ) and affirms it 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , to come from without, and that it is a divine thing: Thus it was with some Heathens, though destitute of the Light of God's Word, yet in some things they did fall upon the truth, (as saith Tertullian ) The Pilot in a tempestuous black night puts into a good haven, sometimes prospero error, and a man in a dark place gropeth and finds the way out sometimes, caecâ quâdam felicitate: Thus did some Heathens in some things.

SECT. IV.

IF you ask, What Arguments have they, who hold the traduction of the Soul?

I answer, There is none out of Scripture, that is worth the answering: The two things they urge, are,

First, If the soul be not propagated, then man doth not beget a man, as a beast doth a beast, and he is more imperfect, then other creatures: but this is to be answered hereafter. The other is, Because original sin cannot else be maintained; but this is to be answered in the Explication, how we come to partake of it, Let us proceed to the Uses.

Use 1. Doth God create the soul? then he must know all the thoughts, all the inward workings and motions of thy soul; As he that maketh a Clock, or a Watch, knoweth all the motions of it; Therefore take heed of soul-sins, of spirit-sins: What, though men know not your unclean thoughts, your proud thoughts, your malicious thoughts, yet God who made thy soul doth; and therefore this should make us attend to God's eye upon us.

Use 2. Did God make and create the soul? then he also can regenerate it, and make it new again, he made it as a Creator, and he only in the way of regeneration can make it again. This may comfort the godly that mourn and pray, Oh they would have more heavenly holy souls: They would not have such vain thoughts, such sinful motions: Remember, God made thy heart and he can spiritualize it.

3. Doth God create the souls? then here we see that it's our duty to give our souls to him in the first place, John 4. God is a Spirit, and will be worshipped in spirit; This hath been always a complaint, men have drawed nigh to God bodily, but their hearts have been far from him; God made thy soul more then thy body, and therefore let that be in every duty.

Lastly, If Parents do not make our souls, then here we see, Children must obey Parents, but in the Lord: Should thy Parents command thee to do any sinful action, to break the Sabbath, you must not obey, you may say, My father and mother they help me but to my body, God doth give me my soul, and therefore they are but parents of your bodies, not of your conscience and souls.

SECT. V.

The Authors Apology for his handling this great Question.

THe false ways which some have wandered in, to maintain the Propagation of Original Corruption to all mankind, being detected, our work is now to explicate that Doctrine, which seemeth most consonant to solid Reason and Scripture.

But before we essay that, we are to inform you of one sort of learned Authors, who, because of the difficulty attending this Point, Whether we hold the Traduction or Creation of the soul, have thought it the most wife and sober way to acknowledge the Propagation of original Sin; But as for the manner How, there to have a modest suspense of our judgment, to profess a learned ignorance herein to believe That it is, though How it is so, we know not. And Tertullian, concerning the original of the soul ( Lib. de Animâ ) hath this known saying, Praestat per Deum nescire, quae ipse non revelaverit, quàm per hominem scire, quae ipse praesumpserit. In this way of suspense Austin continued as long as he lived, thinking that this might be one of those Truths, we shall not know, till we come into the Academy of Heaven; and to this modest silence, we have one place of Scripture, which might much incline us, Eccles. 11. 5. As thou knowest not the way of the Spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb, &c. This Text should teach us not to 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , to venture too far, but to observe the light of the Scripture, as they did the Pillar and Cloud in the wilderness to stand still, where that stands still; And indeed the Disputes about the Modes of things, is very intricate. The known saying is Motum, sometimes Modum nescimus, the manner of God's working in conversion, The manner of Christ's presence in the Sacrament, what endless controversies hath it begotten? And therefore it was the King of Navarre 's counsel to the Divines, when the Lutherans and Calvinists were upon pacification about the Sacrament, that they should not De modo ultra modum disputare. Now although this be good counsel, yet when heretical and erroneous opinions have invaded the Modus, then it is our duty to maintain not only the truth of a thing, but the manner of it also; What is a greater mystery then the Son of God, having his being from the Father? He that will touch this mystery with mere natural reason, doth as if the Smith should handle his live-coals with his hands and not the Tongs, saith Chrysostom, yet because of the Socinians, who say,

We are forced not to be content only to believe, that he is the Son of God, but also how, viz. By eternal Generation; So in the great Controversy with the Arminians about the conversion of man. It is not enough to say, we are converted by grace, but are necessitated also to express the manner How, not by a moral suasion, or per modum sapientiae only, but by invincible efficacy and power also. Thus the manner of Christ's presence, in the Sacrament was necessarily to be determined against the Lutherans. Thus it is in our point in hand, we might well enough sit down with this Truth, That original sin is communicated to every son of Adam, and inquire no further, as the primitive Church did till Austin 's time, in a great measure; But when Heretics will deny the true Doctrine, because the manner is difficult to express; or when men will deny the Creation of the soul, then it's our duty in a sober manner to search into the way, how we partake of it: Neither doth the fore mentioned Text contradict this; For, though we know not how the bones grow in the womb exactly and punctually, yet we know in the general, that they do by virtue of generation; So although we know not particularly how the soul cometh to have its being in the body, yet in the general, that it is by Creation, we have had Scripture light fully to convince us therein.

This then premised, Let us proceed to clear the Doctrine of the Propagation of original sin, and that by several Propositions, which will be as so many steps and degrees to the main Truth.

SECT. VII.

Propositions to clear the Doctrine of the Propagation of Original Sin by the Souls Creation.

FIrst, We lay this for a foundation, That God doth create the soul of every man a spiritual substance. This Proposition must be the foundation-stone to build upon. That God doth create the soul immediately, you have heard several Texts attesting thereunto. So that Bellarmine was too dissident, when moved, (it seemed) by Austin, doth wave all Texts of Scripture for the creation of the soul, and so proceedeth to other Arguments. Perierius on 2 Chap. of Genes. verse. 7. giveth a better censure of Austin: for having produced some Texts for the Creation of the soul, he saith, Conatur Augustinus, sed frustra hos locos elidere. I shall add one more fit for that purpose also. The Text is 1 Pet. 4. 19. Wherefore let them that suffer, according to the will of God, commit the keeping of their souls unto God, as to a faithful Creator. Here the afflicted children of God are required, as Christ did, to commend their souls to God, and the reason is, Because he is a faithful Creator of them; So that God's Creation of them is here made an engagement to God to keep them, they being now sanctified and made holy.

Our souls then are created: In the next place, I say, they are created Substances: This is to obviate those that make the soul only an accident, or the crasis and temperament of the humors; Galen (as Cerda on Tertull. de animâ alledgeth him) in his second Book of prediction by the pulses, hath this passage,

He was not made wiser, but more absurd and foolish in this thing. Yea, there is one Dicaearchus much spoken of, that said, And the Mortalists they directly join with Galen 's opinion. Who would think, that when we have the Scripture speaking so plainly about the soul, that it is a spirit, that it removeth when the body is killed, that any should be delivered up to such licentious and abominable Doctrines?

Again, I add, God createth it a spiritual substance. This opposeth the Sadducees, who denied any spirits. It is plain by Scripture, that they are substances and spiritual ones, because they subsist without the body. Tertullian, though he doth so acutely perstringe the Philosophers about the soul, yet some of them were more sound then he,

It is true, some of these thought the souls to be bodies, and so doth Tertullian, and happily he might have been excused by taking body largely, for that which is not nihil, in which sense he attributeth a body to God, but that he saith the soul is not only a body, but effigiated and shaped also, yea that the souls differ in sex, which is very irrational; We may then conclude this with a saying of Numertus, That if any souls are corporeal, it is of those, who say, souls are corporeal.

A second Proposition is, That though God doth create immediately the souls of all men spiritual substances, yet they are not complete and perfect substances, as Angles are, but the essential parts of men. Upon this Proposition depends much weight of this Truth about the communicating of original sin, for we are apt to think God createth our souls like Angels, perfect and having subsistency of themselves, whereas they are created as parts of a man, neither do they come from God any otherwise, If God should create a soul to subsist of itself, and not to be united to the body to constitute a man, that soul would not be polluted. But because every soul is created as an essential part of man, and so hath its being: Hence it is, That it cometh into the world part of Adam, and so obnoxious to that curse, which he had deserved; whatsoever then in its first being is part of man, that is partaker of Adam 's sin and curse; But the soul in its first instant of being is part of man, therefore no wonder if it became polluted and cursed. The example of that miraculous Resurrection of Lazarus and others may something clear this, they were fully dead, their souls and bodies union dissolved, yet because their souls were not made perfect and pure without sin, and translated into Heaven, but by the power of God detained here on earth, that the glory of Christ might be exalted, he doth unite this soul, though with pollution to the body: Now God's uniting of the sinful soul to the body, did not make him the cause of any sin therein, Because he united it as part of that man, who yet was not wholly purged from sin. Now the reason why the soul is created, not as a perfect substance in itself, is, Because it's the form of man, not an assisting form, and therefore is not in the body, as when an Angel did assume bodies, or as a man in his house, or as a Musician useth an Instrument, but a form informing, whereby it is made an intrinsical essential part of a man: The truth of this will give much light to our point in hand, the soul is created by God, The informing form of a man, and so hath no other consideration, but as an essential part of him; and therefore seeing the man is in Adam, whose soul this is, that is thereby exposed to all the sin of Adam; Hence it is that there is some difference between the creation of Angles, and the Chaos at first, which were made absolutely of nothing, and of the soul; For the soul, though it be created of nothing, yet because a form hath an essential respect to its matter; for which cause Contarenus (as Zanchi saith) affirmed,

and therefore is that distinction of some learned men, that though the soul be not ex materiâ, yet it is in materiâ, God did not create it, but in the body, though not of the body, and thus far it may be said to be of man, as that he is the cause, though not of the being of the soul, yet of the being of it n this body.

The third Proposition, The soul being thus created an essential part of a man, and the form informing of him: Hence it is, That we must not conceive the soul to be first created, as it were, of itself subsisting, and then infused into the body, but when the materials are sufficiently prepared then as the Schoolmen express it well, Infundendo creature, and creando infuditur, it's infused by the creating of it, and created by infusing; So that the soul is made in the body organized, not without it; so the Scripture, Zech. 12. 1. Who formeth the spirit of man with him, and because of the souls unon to the body when thus disposed; Hence it is that man may truly and univocally be said to beget a man, though his soul be created; for seeing man who is the compositum, is the Terminus generationis; Hence it is that man begets man, as well as a beast, though the soul of a beast be from the matter, as we see in Christ, the Virgin Mary is truly said to be the mother of Christ, though she was not the mother of his Divine Nature, nor of his soul. Thus man doth properly beget another man, though the soul be by Creation (as the matter also according to Philosophy is ingenerable) because the soul is united to the body, prepared and disposed for it by man; from which union resulteth the whole person or compositum, consisting of soul and body: So that although man be not the cause of his child's souls being, yet that it hath a being in this body, and thereby such a person produced, he is the cause of it, and by this, if well understood, you may see original sin communicated to everyone, though the soul be created, In that way which the human nature is communicated to everyone: So that if we truly know how a man is made a man from his parents, we may also know how sin is thereby also communicated.

The fourth Proposition is, Although God doth daily create new souls, yet his Decree and Purpose to do so was from all eternity; And therefore in this respect we may say all men consisting of souls and bodies were present to God in Adam in respect of God's Decree, and also his Covenant with Adam, so that although there be a new Creation, yet there is no new institution or ordination on God's part; Whereas therefore it's thought hard, that because Adam was so many thousand years ago, the soul created now should partake of his sin. The Answer is, That in respect of God's Decree and Covenant we were all present to God in Adam; There is no man hath his being De Novo, but unto God he was present from eternity; so that though the things in time have a succession of being, yet to God all are present in eternity: Not that we can say they were actually sinners, or actually justified, but in respect of God's purpose all were present, and this will help much to facilitate this difficulty, we are as present to God in respect of his Decree, and knowledge, as if we had been then actually in Adam, in which sense it's said, Omnes fuerunt ill unus homo, and Act. 15. 18. Known to God are all his works from the beginning.

The fifth Proposition. Hence it is that the just and wise God is not to alter, and change that course of nature, because man hath sinned. It is vain to say, Why will God unite this soul to the body, when thereby both shall be polluted? For though man hath by his sin deserved that this should be, yet God is not therefore to cease of the continuing and multiplying of mankind, God doth keep to the fixed course of nature, notwithstanding man's sin; And therefore we see that even to those, who are begot in fornication and whoredom, yet even to such in that unlawful act, God giveth souls, because he will not interrupt the course of nature.

The sixth Proposition. Adam by his first transgression did deserve that all who should be of him, should be deprived of the Image of God, and the privation of that doth necessarily infer the presence of all sin in a subject susceptible: As take away light from the air, and it must be dark; so that this Proposition answereth the whole difficulty: Adam deserved by his transgression, that all his posterity should become dead in sin; and as he had thus deserved it, so God had ordained it, and appointed it; The soul then of everyone being made part of that man who is thus cursed in Adam, it becomes deprived of the Image of God, and so full of sin; So that although God create the soul naturally good, yet because part of man condemned by his sentence, he denieth it that original righteousness it once had; God doth not infuse any evil into the soul, nor is the Author of any sin therein, but as a just Judge denieth that righteousness, which otherwise the soul might have had: So that you must not look for an efficient cause of original sin in the soul, but a deficient, and a meritorious cause: So that the Sum is this, If you ask, How cometh the soul defiled, if created of God? I answer, The Meritorious cause is Adam 's disobedience, by his transgression he demerited this for all that should come of him. And if you say, Who putteth the sin in? I answer, There is no efficient cause that putteth it in: It is enough that God doth justly refuse to give or continue his Image. And this being denied the soul, because a subject either of holiness or sin, when wanting one must necessarily fall into the other: Thus it is with the souls being polluted, as it is with night, there is no efficient cause of the night, only the withdrawing of the Sun necessarily maketh it: So God doth nothing positively to make the soul sinful, but according to his just appointment at first denieth that righteousness, which Adam willfully put away from himself and his posterity: So that we may as easily conceive of every child's souls pollution by sin, as of Adam and Eve themselves. God made them righteous, but upon their transgression they became unclean and sinful: How was this? God in justice denied the continuance of this holiness to them any longer, so that they became sinful, not because God infused evil, but denied him that righteousness to them. This may fully satisfy the sober and modest minded man.

Therefore the last Proposition is, That we cannot say, the soul being pure in itself cometh into the body, and so is insected; As if some wine should be put in a poisoned vessel, for the soul and the body do mutually infect one another, not physically by contact, but morally; For the soul being destitute of the Image of God in all its operations, is sinful, and so all the bodily actions are polluted: And then again, the body that having lost the properties it had before the fall, is a clod and a burden to the soul: Thus they do mutually help to damn one another, the soul polluteth the body, and the body that again polluteth the soul; And thus those two which at first God put together in so near an union to make man happy, are now so defiled, that both from soul and from body, the matter of his damnation doth arise. It is true, we may say inchoatively, Sin it in the body before enlivened by the soul, in which sense David bewailed his being conceived in sin, but explicitly and formally it cannot be, and therefore we are not to conceive sin in the body before the soul be united, or in the soul before the body be joined to it, but as soon as they both became man, then they are under the just curse of God, and the soul being blind, and the body same, they both fall into that eternal pit of damnation, if the grace of God deliver not.

I may in time show how many ways the soul defileth the body, and the body again infecteth the soul (viz.) in a moral sense, and therefore let this suffice for the present; Only from what hath been said, let us turn our Disputation into Deploration, Let the head busied to argue, be now as much exercised to weep; Jeremiah wished his head was a fountain of tears for the slain of his people, and that was but a temporal death, and that of one Nation only, How much more may we desir so for the spiritual death, and that of all in the world? Say unto all Heretical Teachers, Get ye behind me Satan's, you hinder and trouble me in my humiliation: Is not the Infant new born swaddled and bound up hand and feet, and so lieth crying? A sad representation, that so God might bind everyone, and send him crying to Hell: Thus original sin opened Hell, kindled the fire of Hell, there was no Hell till this was committed: Oh grievous necessity and unhappy condition we are all born in! Antequam peccemus peccato constringimur, antequam delinquimus delicto tenemur. This, even this seriously considered, should make us have no rest, till we be put into the second Adam, in whom we have Justification and Salvation.

SECT. I.

C Oncerning our Subject of Original Sin, these particulars have been largely treated on, viz. That it is, What it is, and How it is communicated. The next thing therefore in our method to be considered, is, The Subject of Inhesion, wherein it is, in what part it doth reside, and what powers of the soul are corrupted by it. There is indeed made by Divines a twofold Subject of original sin.

1. Of Predication, the persons in whom it is affirmed to be, and that is in all who naturally come of Adam, Christ only is excepted; And in this there is not much controversy, only the Francisean Papists opposing the Dominicans, do hotly contend, that the Virgin. Mary was by special privilege exempted from original sin, Scotus seemeth to be the first, that made it received as a kind of an Ecclesiastical opinion, whereas formerly it was but thought doubtful, or at most probable: It is not worth the while to trouble you with this, and I may have occasion ere the subject be dispatched to say, what will be necessary to it: I shall therefore proceed to that which is more practical and profitable, even to search into the seat and bowels of this original sin, that we may be fully informed, no part of the soul is free from this pestilence. To which truth the Text in hand will contribute great assistance. And

For the Coherence of it briefly take notice that the Apostle at the 17 ^th verse giveth a short but dreadful Description of a Gentile conversation, or the life of one without the knowledge of Christ; wherein you may observe a three-fold ignorance or blindness upon all such, so impossible is it that of themselves they should ever come to see; There is a natural blindness, a voluntary contracted blindness, and a Judicial one inflicted on them by God, for abuse of natural light. These there are mentioned in the 18 ^th verse. And in this verse. 19. we have the formidable consequence declared, That being past feeling, no remorse of conscience in them, They give up themselves to all wickedness with greediness: Oh that this were only among Pagans! But how many have this natural, voluntary and judicial blindness and obstinacy upon them under the light of the Gospel? Yea, their eyes are more blinded, and hearts more hardened, where the means of grace have been contemned, then in the places where the name of Christ hath not been known. This black condition of Heathens being described, he compareth those of Christians with it, and so we have darkness and light here set together; And this the Apostle declareth, verse. 20. But ye have not so learned Christ; Christ teacheth no such wickedness, yet because many may have a bare knowledge, and a vain empty profession of Christ, and live such Paganish lives, he addeth a corrective to his speech, which is worthy of all attention, If so be ye have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus. This is an excellent limitation, men may know Christ, profess Christ, and yet not do it, as the truth is in Jesus; that is not to obey the Doctrine of Christ, as he hath commanded; Christ never required that thou shouldst only make a profession of faith in him, and then for thy life, that that may be full of vice and corruption, know, if you do so, you know not the truth as it is in Jesus Christ. We have a like expression, Colos. 1. 6. where the godly are said, To know the grace of God in truth • , and Tit. 1. 1. There is the acknowledging of the truth after godliness: Oh let such hear, and let their ears tingle, and their hearts tremble, who come to Church, profess Christ, and yet run in all excess of riot! What doth any knowledge profit if it be not of the truth as it is in Jesus, if it be not an acknowledgment after godliness, thou deniest the faith, and art indeed worse then an Heathen? There is Theologia rationalia and experimentalis, as Gerson, or Theologia docens and utens. It is this later, viz. an exercised experimental Divinity, that maketh a Divine properly: Therefore Ames his definition of Theologia is good, that it is Doctrius Deo vivendi, a Doctrine whereby we are taught to live unto God. Every wicked Christian is worse then a Pagan; But who will believe this report? Now that we may know what it is to know truth as it is in Jesus, he instanceth in a twofold effect or demonstration thereof:

The first is, To put off the old man with the decitfull lusts thereof. This old man you heard is original sin, this must be mortified with the immediate issues thereof: So that a true knowledge of Christ doth not only cleanse the strems, but the fountain also, doth not only change the conversation of a man, but the heart, the affections, the whole man. It goeth to the root as well as the branches.

And the second effect is in the Text, To be renewed in the spirit of your mind; wherein we are to observe the Duty, and the Subject of it. The Duty is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 To be renewed; We read it Imperatively, but in the Greek it is the Infinitive mood, as also the Duty to put off, mentioned ver. 22. is in the same mood, for these Infinitives do relate to the Verb, being taught as the truth is in Christ, to be taught to put off, to be taught to be renewed; If so be we conceive of those to whom Paul writeth, as converted already, then this duty of renovation, is to be understood of further increased and degrees. To be more renewed every day, for it is usual with the Apostle to write to those who are supposed to be in the state of grace, that they should be more sanctified and reconciled to God. To be renewed, is to have the mind endowed with new Properties and Qualities; for ignorance, knowledge; for atheism and unbelief, faith; for sinful and vain thoughts, gracious and holy ones, &c. So that there are two extreme errors in the expounding of this:

1. Of the Illyricans, who as they held sin to be the substance of a man, so this renovation they must hold to be substantial, not accidental. But it's absurd to say, a man must have a new soul essentially in regeneration.

The other extreme is of Socinians, for they holding, There is no such thing as original sin, they must needs say, That this renovation is only in regard of contracted sin, and external impiety in the life, not in respect of any inbred and inherent pollution in the mind: But this also is against the Scripture.

The second thing in the Text, is the Subject of this renovation, The spirit of your mind. Concerning the difference between spirit and mind, many thoughts have been, but either it is an Hebraism, and is no more then the mind which is a spirit, or else spirit is taken for that which is the most sublime, noble, and also most active and vigorous in a man. Thus Job 20. 3. we have the spirit of understanding, And Isa. 11. 2. The spirit of wisdom, the spirit of counsel, and the spirit of knowledge; Yea, it is sometime applied to the vigorous and high actings of evil, as Hos. 4. 12. The spirit of whoredom; And the spirit of whoredoms, Hosea 5. 4. So that when the Apostle doth not say, Be renewed in your mind, but in the spirit of your mind; This supposeth, That what is most choice, excellent and noble, even in the rational part of a man, called for its dignity 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , yet this is all over polluted by original sin, and so needeth a renovation: As for those who by the spirit would understand the holy Ghost, that is most absurd, For how can we be renewed in that?

SECT. II.

THe Text thus opened, we may see two Doctrines in the womb of it, the first implied and supposed, viz.

1. That the mind of every man in all the choice operations thereof, is wholly polluted and stained.

2. Because it is thus polluted that needs regeneration and renovation as well as any other parts.

The former Doctrine is only to my subject in hand; for now my work is to show you, Wherein this contagion doth discover itself? And I shall begin with that which hath the greatest dignity in a man, and if that hath not escaped pollution, much less may we think the other parts have; And if the eye be dark, how great must our darkness be? And before we speak particularly to that, let us say something in the general about the subject wherein this original sin is seated.

SECT. III.

FIrst, There hath been some, who have not so much seated it in the soul, as made the very soul and substance of a man to be original sin; So that we might properly and truly say, Man was sin itself. The Author of this was Flaccius Illyricus, who in many things is to be praised for his diligence and industry, but he was of a turbulent spirit, very restless; insomuch that in his studies at first, he was so greatly tempted, that many times public prayer was made for him in the solemn Assemblies. ( Vide Horned. Sum. Controv. de Lutheranismo. ) This man out of great earnestness to oppose Papists, yea and the Lutheran Strigelius, who extenuated original sin, fell into another extreme, making it to be the very substance of man. It is true, Some have excused him, as thinking his opinion was sound, only his words were obscure and dangerous, for he doth often distinguish between the Homo Physicus, and the Homo Theologicus, he maketh the Theological man, as he is in such a consideration to be only sinful. But surely it is as easy to understand Epicurus his Atoms, Pythagoras his numbers, Plato 's Ideas, Aristotle 's Entelechias, as Illirieus his Homo theologicus in the way he layeth it down, denying all along, that original sin is an accident. This opinion made a great rent among the Lutherans, whereof some were called Substantiarii, others Accidentarii, as Coceius the Papist relateth ( Coccius Thes. de peccato. ) but this is to be refused with great indignation: Original sin is most intimately cleaving to us, inseparably joined to the nature of man, yet it is not the nature of man, for then Christ could not have taken our nature without sin. Though therefore it be seated in the soul, and that most tenaciously, yet it is not the essence of a man: But of this more in its time.

Secondly, It is also a great Dispute among the Schoolmen, Whether original sin be immediately and proximely seated in the essence of the soul, or in the powers of it? Whether because it is first in the essence of the soul, therefore the understanding and will are corrupted? Or, Whether these powers are first polluted and infected by it? But this is founded upon a philosophical Dispute, Whether the soul and the faculties thereof are distinguished: And therefore I shall not trouble you with it.

Thirdly, Some Papists have limited original sin only to the affections, to the inferior and sensitive part of a man, as if sin were not in the understanding, and reason at all, but in the affections and fleshly part only; But the more learned of the Papists gainsay this, and do acknowledge, that the mind as well as other parts is polluted with this leprosy.

SECT. IV.

Wherein Original Sin hath infected the minds of all men.

THese things premised, Let us consider, Wherein original sin hath infected the minds of all men, so that in respect thereof that is to be renewed. And

[ I] First, Horrible ignorance of God, and the things of salvation doth cover the soul of every man by nature, even as darkness was upon the face of the deep. Thus Rom. 3. you heard the Apostle pronounceth generally, There is Rome that understandeth, or seeketh after God, No, not one. Hence also Ephes. 5. 8. unconverted persons are said to be darkness in the very abstract, and that both because of their original and acquired blindness of mind upon them; What could the wisest and most learned of the world do in respect of any knowledge of Christ, if this were not revealed? for this cause it is called the Ministry, and the Gospel is constantly compared to light, and all the world is said, To sit in darkness till this doth arise; so that our minds are by nature wholly ignorant about our selves, about God and Christ, which made our Savior say to Peter, upon his confession, That flesh and blend had not revealed this to him: whereas then in the state of integrity our minds were as gloriously filled with all perfections, and abilities, as the firmament with slarres, there was sapience, in respect of God, science, in respect of all natural things to be known, and prudence, in respect of all things to be done; now our eye is put out, and like Sampson, the Philistines can do what they please with us, for this respect it is, that every creature is better then man, they have a natural instinct, whereby they know what is proper for them, Opera natura sunt opera artis, or intelligeniae; They have as much knowledge sensitive (I mean) as they were made with at first, even the least creatures and most despicable; yea God is, maximus in minimus, most wonder full in the least things, which made Austin prefer Fly before the Sun, and that he did more admire, Opera Formicarum, then Onera Camelorum, the wise works of the Ant, before the heavy burdens of Camels: Thus all creatures have a suitable knowledge for their end in their way, only man is in horrible darkness, and is absolutely ignorant about God or his own happiness. Therefore those opinions of some, who attribute a possibility of salvation to Heathens, by the natural knowledge they have, do in effect make void Christ and the Gospel.

Secondly, Original sin doth not only deprive us of all knowledge of God in a saving way, but also filleth us with error, and positive mistakes, whereby we have not only unbelief, but misbelief, our condition were not so universally miserable, if so be our minds were only in a not knowing, or mere privative ignorance about God: but oh the gross soul and absurd persuasions men have naturally about God! The Atheism naturally that is in us, either denying or doubting about God; but especially, the false and absurd representations of God to us; It is from the error in man's mind, that Polytheism hath so abounded, persuading themselves of many gods; yea, the idolatry that hath filled the pagarish world, and under subtle distractions hath invaded the Church also, doth abundantly proclaim original ignorance and error in us about divine things; yea, the wiser men, as the Apostle observeth, Rom. 1. They became the more foolish in their imaginations, turning the image of God into the likeness of the vilest creatures.

But before we proceed, we must answer an Objection, that may be made to the Doctrine delivered; for it will easily be said, That the corruption hitherto mentioned in the understanding is actual sin rather then original; Ignorance, Atheism, I dolatrical thoughts of God, these must necessarily be judged actual; and if it be so, Why do we ascribe this to original? And indeed this Objection is commonly made by Papists, against the Positions and Confessions which the Protestants have made about original sin; for when they describe the nature of it, they usually instance in particulars, as horrible ignorance, Atheism, and dissidence in the mind, &c. To this the Papists reply, saying, We confound actual and original sin; yea, when we bring that famous place. Gen. 5. 6. The imaginations of the thoughts of the heart, are only evil, and that continually, to prove original sin, they reply the same thing to that Text also.

Therefore to clear this, we are to know, that it is true, Atheism, ignorance; these are actual sins, as they are put in exercise, but yet when we ascribe them to original sin, we do not so much mean, the actual exercise of these evils, as the Proneness and propensity of the heart to them: So that our meaning is, The heart of itself is prone to all these actual wickednesses; Therefore though we name these as actual, yet you must understand them, habitually and seminally, there being an inclination to all that impiety.

Only the reason, why we describe original sin thus, as if it were actual pollution, it is, Because that it is a principle always acting, it never ceaseth; the sparks of this lust are like those of hell which never go out; as the heart of a man naturally, never ceaseth its motion, so neither doth the evil heart of a man.

This difficulty being removed, let us proceed to discover further actings of original sin in the mind, and spirit of man, And

[ II] The second in order is, That incapacity, which is in every man's understanding about holy things: Divine and supernatural things are no more received by him, then a Beast doth apprehend the things of reason; We have this fully affirmed, 1 Cor. 2. 14. But the natural man receiveth not the things of God, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned; you see there is no habitude or proportion between the understannding of a natural man, and spiritual things, no more, then is between the bodily eye, and a spiritual: 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , is one that doth, excolere animam, such as labor to adorn and perfect the soul, with the most intellectual and moral endowments that are: a Tully, a Plato, an Aristotle, these, if brought to Gospel-truth, are not so much as noctuae ad solemn, Owls to the Sun-beams; To this purpose also, Rom. 8. 7, we have not only this truth asserted, but also aggravated, where the carnal mind is said, To be enmity against God, and it is not subject to the Law of God, neither can it be. By which places of Scripture, it is evident, That the mind of man, hath an utter incapacity, as to any divine things. Indeed there is a passive capacity, as some express it, and so the mind of man is susceptible of holy truth, and such a capacity is not in a beast; as that is not capable of sin, so neither of regeneration; But then there is an active capacity, when the soul by some ability and power of its own, is able to move to these supernatural objects; and thus the understanding of the most learned in the world, cannot of itself receive it, and therefore faith is said, To be the gift of God; so that we may justly abhor the Arminians, Probitas animi, and Pia doxilitas, which they make preparatory or main part to conversion: Now there is a twofold receiving of divine Truths.

1. Speculatively, by a bare dogmatical assent; and even thus, none by nature can receive the Truths of God; for the Pharisees though they heard Christ preached, and saw the miracles he did, yet they did not believe with so much as a dogmatical faith.

2. There is a practical, and experimental receiving of holy Truths in the power of them, which is here called, the knowing of Truths, as they are in Jesus, and this much less are we able to receive: To the former is required the common grace of God; To this a more special one. Wonder not then, if you see men, even the most learned, naturally so brutish, so ignorant about divine things, That they have no more understanding, and apprehension about heavenly things, Oh bewail original corruption, which maketh thee so unteachable, so intractable! Why doth not every Scripture-truth, every powerful Sermon have its full and powerful operation upon thee, but because it doth not me et with a preparedand fitted subject?

[ III] Thirdly, Original sin polluteth the understanding, by making it to incline to curiosity, and a prying into such things, which God hath not revealed. Adam 's actual sin, which is our original imputed one, was partly this, They desired to be as gods, to know good and evil, which hath left its impression upon all: Like the Bethshemite, we desire to be looking into the Ark. The Apostle, 1 Cor. 4. 6, as he would not have the Corinthians, think of men, above that which is written, so much less of God contrary to that which is revealed: This is a great evil upon the understandings of men by original sin that now the mind is not contented with the rule God hath given it; They think it a small and contemptible matter to know no more then what may be known by the Scripture, but they affect extraordinary things; This curiosity is that which filled the Church once with so many Schoolmen and their Questions, as Egypt was once with Caterpillars. It is true, School-divinity hath its use, and so far as they deal solidly, and improve natural reason in any point, they are very admirable; but when once they fall into their useless, unprofitable and sublime Questions, where neither the Word of God, or sure reason can conduct them, then they vanish like smoke in the air: how rash are they in their Disputes about Angels? With what nice conceits have they obscured the Doctrine of the Trinity? Insomuch that we may see much of original sin in them, inclining and hurrying of them to a bold and venturous determination of such things, which God hath not manifested; so that none of their seraphical, sublime, or angelical Doctors, could begin their Disputations, as John his Epistle: That which we have seen, we have heard, and our hands have handled; 1 Joh 1. 1. Though therefore the Schoolmen have in some things their great use, yet in their difficult niceties, which are but as so many cob-webs, there they are as much to be slighted; as one king did a man, who boasted, he could stand at a distance and throw a grain of corn through the eye of a needle. Again this original curiosity of the mind, venteth itself in all those Magic Arts and Witchcrafts which have abounded in the world; as also in judiciary Astrology, and such deceitful impostures, men affecting, as Adam did, to be like God, to be able to declare the things that are to come. Act. 19▪ 19. They are called, curious arts. Furthermore this curiosity of the mind is seen, in nauseating and disdaining known things, and what are already discovered, and ambitiously thirsting to find out some Veritas incognita, as others have done Terra incognita, To bring such new things to the world, that were never known, or heard before: It's from this sinful curiosity, that men forsake the good Truths of God, and run after heresies, errors, and whatsoever hath novellisme in it: so that he, who would examine himself about his regeneration, must look to the renovation of his mind in this particular, as well as any other.

Fourthly, Original sin discovereth itself in our minds, by the vanity that [ IIII] they are filled with, 1 Cor. 3▪ 20, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain; If the thoughts of wise men (without the Scripture) be vain, how much more of men, who have no more then natural ability? And certainly this must needs be a very heavy censure upon man, that he who hath the best parts, the greatest understanding, yet till grace sanctify, he is but a vain man; His mind is a vain mind, his understanding is a vain understanding; many ways the vanity of it might be discovered, as thus, The understanding of man is naturally more affected with pleasing things, then with solid and sound Truths; it is more affected with words, language, jests, and merry tales, then with that matter which tendeth to spiritual edification; Is not this a great instance of the vanity upon our minds? to regard leaves more then fruit, chaff more then good seed, pictures and shows more then substances: whence ariseth that delight in embroidered language, in plays and Comedies, and in Romances, and such bubles, and empty vapors, but from a vanity upon man's mind? To be pleased with stories, and merry tales, more then a powerful and divine Sermon? Is not this, because man's mind is vain? Since man's fall, as the will, though a noble part of the soul, yet doth act dependently and slavishly to the sensitive appetite; we will not what is good, and the acceptable will of God, but what our sinful affections suggest to us: so the understanding, though the satred faculty, (as it were) of the soul, yet acts dependently on the fancy, and so what tickleth and pleaseth that, the mind also is most affected with. Austin did much confess and bewail this vanity of his mind, whereby he did disdain the simplicity of the Scripture, and desired to hear that eloquent Ambrose, not out of love to matter, but to words; This is a childish vanity, like Children that delight in a Book for the pictures that are in it, not the matter contained therein. This vain mind hath sometimes affected both Preacher and Hearer, what applauded Sermons have there been, and yet nothing in them but descanting upon words, and affecting a verbal pomp, being like the Nightingale Vox & preterea nihil, like Puppets stuffed with bumbast, having no life at all within them? and all was accounted prating that was not such a wordy preaching. And, truly, this vanity hath much infected the mind of hearers; men coming to the Word preached, not as to hear the Oracles of God, with fear and trembling, but as to the Schools of oratory, looking to the powdring of their words, and the dressing of the language, as much as to the setting and ordering of their own hair; Is not this a great evil and vanity, thus to regard the healing of the finger, when the heart is deadly sick? If thy mind be renewed in this, it will also appear, and for that vanity, there will be solid gravity.

[ V] Fifthly, Original sin filleth the mind with exceeding great folly; So that no man born a natural fool is more to be pitied, then every man who by nature is a spiritual fool. Those conceited wise ones of the world, who condemn the godly for a company of fools, they are fools in the highest degree, as may easily be evinced: If so be ( Job 4. 18.) God is said, To charge his Angels with folly, (and that, as some expound,) even the good Angels themselves, because that wisdom they have comparatively to God's, is but folly; how much more is this true of man fallen, who hath lost that wisdom God once bestowed upon him? If you ask, Wherein doth a natural man's folly appear? Truly in everything he doth, Eccl. 10. 3, His wisdom: faileth him, and he saith to everyone, he is a fool; Every oath, every lie, every drunken fit proclaimeth a man to be but a fool; If he had the wisdom of God's Word he could never do so; especially the folly of man by nature is seen these ways.

1. In making himself merry with sin. It is jollity and sport to him, to be fulfilling the lusts of the flesh, and is not this folly, to be playing with the flames of hell? as you see fools go laughing to the stocks, so do they to hell, Prov. 10. 23, It is a sport to a fool to do mischief; herein then thy foolish mind is seen, that thou canst laugh and sport it so in the actings of sin, which are the preparatoryes to those everlasting burnings in hell.

2. Thy folly by nature is seen, In preferring a creature before God; what is this but the fools bable before the Tower of London, as the Proverb is? yet this folly is bound up in every man, till grace make him wiser; he loveth the creature more then God, he had rather have a drop then the ocean, earth then heaven, dirt then gold; Is not this greater folly then can be expressed? yet till regenerated, such a fool thou art, though thou art never so wise in thy own conceit.

3. We are naturally foolish, In that we attend only to those things that are for the present, and never at all look to eternity; becoming herein like brute beasts, that regard only what is before them. Moses doth in the name of God wish, Oh that my people were wise (Deut. 32. 29.) that they would understand their latter end! It is wisdom to look to the future; hence they say, Prudens, is, qussi porro videns, he seeth a far off; but take any natural man, doth all the wisdom he hath, ever make him to attend to eternity? what will become of him at the day of judgment? now he is at ease, and in good liking, but what shall he do, when that great day shall come? he is far from Hierem 's temper, thinking he heard always that terrible noise sounding in his ears, Arise and come to judgment; Oh thy folly then! who dost in effect say, Give me that which is sweet here, though hereafter I be tormented to all eternity.

4. Thy folly is abundantly discovered in this, that thou takest no pains to know the best things, the chiefest things, the things that most concern thee. Naturally thou knowest nothing of God, or Christ, or the way to heaven, which yet is the proper end for which God made thee; if folly did not reign in thy understanding, thou wouldst not be so careless herein: Thou art careful to know how to live in this world, but not how to live eternally in the world to come; Thou knowest how to buy and sell, how to plough and sow, but knowest not the principles of Religion, which must save thee, Doth not this proclaim thy folly?

5. Original sin is discovered in our foolish mind, By the inconsiderateness that it is guilty of. It's want of consideration that damneth a man. Intellectus cogitabundus est principium omnis boni, Psal. 50. Oh consider this, ye that forget God Did a man consider the majesty of God, the dreadfullness of hell, • he shortness of the pleasures of sin, the mortality of the body and the immortality of the soul, How could he sin? This foolish inconsiderateness maketh man, though mortal, to procrastinate his conversion, he is always beginning to repent, beginning to reform, Inter caetera mala, hoc habet stultitia, se • per incipit vivere.

6. Not to enlarge in this, Thy folly in thy mind is seen, By thy imprudence and injudiciousness; Thou dost not judge godliness, the favor of God and grace, better then the whole world; as the child thinketh his nut better then gold, Sapiens est cui res, sapiunt prout sunt; if thou wert wise, things would savor to thee as they are, earthly as earthly, heavenly as heavenly; so that the folly of man naturally is seen in this, that he savoreth not the things of God, he hath no judgment to esteem of the true pearl, and therefore will not part with the least thing to obtain it.

Sixthly, The mind hath lost its superiority in respect of the other parts of the [ VI] soul, and its subordination to God; both which were the great perfections thereof; For superiority and preeminency, the mind is now debased, and this light is put now, not under a bushel, but a dunghill. God endowed man with understanding, that it might be like a Queen in the soul, directing and ordering all actions to true happiness, Though the will be chief in power and efficacy; yet the understanding is in direction and counsel; Insomuch, That the will is called caeca potentia, a blind power of the soul, being essentially subordinated to follow the dictates of the understanding; and if the will be thus subordinate, that is called a rational power participative, though not formaliter: no wonder then if the sensitive and affectionate part of a man, his love, his grief, his anger, these were not to rise or stir, but as the understanding did give orders to them; Thus was the understanding of a man placed in him, as the Sun in the Firmament, to give light to all the powers of the soul; but now by original corruption it's dethroned, it's ejected out of its power, and is made a servant to every lust that reigneth in the will, and the affections; hence it cometh about, That whatsoever a man's corrupt heart carrieth him unto, presently the mind of man, being like a bribed advocate, pleadeth for the lawfullness and the necessity of it. It is true indeed, we have a rule in Divinity, Nem • potest credere, quia vult, No man can believe a thing to be true, merely because he will, but yet the will and affections can so divert the understanding, or put mists and pretences before it, that now it's become like the Sun in a foggy misty day, that cannot put forth its light: so that if you do ask, What is the true original cause of all heretical opinions, and corrupt practices? you may say, It's because the mind doth not keep up its primitive power. As the reason given in the Judges, why so much Idolatry and other wickedness was committed, was, because there was no King (no Governor) in Israel, everyone did that which was right in his own eyes. Thus if you ask, Whence is that confusion in a man's opinion, in a man's practices? It's because the mind of a man is degraded, the will is carried out to what it listeth, every sinful affection and passion doth what it pleaseth; So that whereas all our affections and actions should have their first rise from the guidance of the mind; Now our lusts and affections do first move, and then the understanding is employed to defend and excuse the lawfulness of them: Oh then bewail this sad desolation come upon thee! Thy mind and judgment are become slaves and vassals to every unlawful way, to plead for that, to defend that, to excuse that: Thus (as the Scripture) when it speaketh of a civil desolation, making a confusion upon the Governors thereof, saith, The heavens are turned into blackness, or, The Sun and Moon into blood; so it is now upon the face of a man's soul; if reason and judgment were strong enough to do their office, there would not be that insolency of the affections, and rebellion in our wills, which doth now wholly overpour us.

The second thing in this particular is, The subordination of it to God, and to his Rule. The mind of a man did then wholly follow the Rule God had prescribed it. To believe, to think, to judge, as the Rule was, but now it's become heretical. It's prone to choose an opinion of its own, a Doctrine of its own; Although the word Heresy in itself, signify neither good or evil, and therefore in Eusebius, Constantine applieth it to the Christian Religion, calling it heresy, as Tertullian doth the Christian Religion Secta, a Sect; yet in Ecclesiastical Writers, if not constantly in the Scripture, it is used in an ill sense, and signifieth an election or adhering to a way of our own devising, and not that which is commanded by God. Tertullian calls Adam 's sin heresin, because committed of his own choice against God's will: Insomuch that though there may be many particular causes of heresies, as ignorance, pride, discontent, covetousness, and such carnal principles; yet the main is, that proneness in the mind to lift up it self against God and his Rule, having lost its primitive subordination to God. This want of subordination to God and the Scriptures, is notably seen in Heretics, who when they perceive Scripture against them, rather then submit, they will be guilty of Scripture-slaughter, as Tertullian called it, Marcion (saith he) cometh not with Stilo sed Machara, draweth his sword, and detruncateth a great part of Scripture: Others, though not so audacious, yet because they will not submit, do not Materiam ad Scripturas, but Scripturas, and Materiam accommodare, not submit their opinions to the Scripture, but the Scripture to their opinions. Valentinus openly professed, He did amend the Gospel.

[ VII] Seventhly, Herein is original corruption greatly depriving the mind of a man, In that it maketh a man pro • e to deceive and cosen himself, so that sin is presented as sweet or profitable, and good to be embraced, holy things are presented as difficult and irksome; Especially this self-deceiving is seen in the judging of ourselves good and right, when indeed we are abominable and loathing to God; Whence is it that every man's ways are clean in his own eyes? Whence is it that every man is a Pagmalion in love with himself, or rather a Pharisee to justify himself? Yea, as it is, Psal. 50. 21. They judge of God like themselves, loving what they love, pleased with what they please: As the Ethiopians, though Christians, yet worshipping the Virgin Mary, paint her like a Blackmore, because they are black: Now what a fearful pollution is this, to deceive ourselves about God, about sin, about godliness, our own souls? So that when we can have a pretence, or a color to justify our selves, then we rejoice: This self-deceiving is often taken notice of by the Scripture, 2. Pet. 2. 13. Gal. 6. 3. 1 Cor. 6. 9. & Jam. 1. 22. it's 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , Deceiving your own selves, putting a fallacy, or a false syllogism upon our selves; And indeed it might be easily shown, how many false syllogisms a man imposeth upon himself; Doth not Presumption argue à divisis ad conjuncta, from the means divided, yet to obtain the end? Yea, in every prayer, in every religious duty the natural man taketh, Non causam pro causâ, because he performeth these duties, he thinketh he serveth God, whereas it is not an holy principle, or gracious motive putteth him upon them, but formality, customariness, or some other inferior motive; Thus every natural man deceiveth himself by false causes, he thinketh he repents, he loveth God, he hath a good heart, he shall be saved, when alas all this while thou art deceived, and deceiving of thyself; Mourne then under this native-pollution, that thou art so deceived in all things about thyself, about the work of grace, about what is flesh, and what is spirit, that thou art deluded in all things, and takest counterfeit for that which is true and genuine. Under this head we may comprehend all that craft and subtlety in men (as in the Jesuits ) to maintain Idolatry or Heresy; For the Devil as at first, so still he delights to use Serpents, because they are more crafty then others; The craft also in man naturally to do mischief, (for which they are compared in Scripture to Foxes, ) doth declare, how original sin hath all over infected the mind.

Eighthly, The great pollution of original sin upon our minds is seen, In the [ VIII] proneness to vain, idle, sinful and • oving thoughts, so that these do discover an unclean fountain of the heart more then anything. Whence do these sparks arise, but from that furnace of sin within thee? The Air is not fuller of Flies; Egypt was not fuller of Frogs, then every man's heart is naturally of idle, vain, foolish and impertinent thoughts; Thoughts, they are the immediate product and issue of original sin; The first born, they are streams that come immediately from the fountain: Now certainly, if a man had by nature an holy sanctified mind, he would also have holy and sanctified thoughts. Think you that Adam in integrity, or the good Angels are troubled with thoughts as we are? For all the while a man is natural, he never had a good thought in him, he might have a thought of good, but not a good thought; For as every Cogitatio mali, is not Cogitatio malâ. We may think of evil to abhor and detest, and this thought of evil is good; So in a natural man, though he may have a thought about good, yet it is not in a good manner, and therefore evil, though the object matter be good; What then will prostrate thee, and make thee lie grovelling upon the ground, loathing thyself, if this do not? Amongst the millions and millions of thoughts which thou hast, there is not one, but it is either vain, proud, idle, or impertinent; yea our thoughts are not in our own power, no more then the birds that fly in the air, but they arise antecedently to our own will and deliberation; And certainly, if vain thoughts be such a burden to a regenerate man, if they do captivate and enthrall him, which made one cry out, Libenter (Domine) bonus esse vellem, sed cogitations meae non patiuntur, I would gladly be good, but my thoughts will not suffer me; No wonder, if to the natural man, who is under the power of original sin, that sinful thoughts hurry him away without any resistance.

Ninthly, Original pollution doth greatly defile the mind of a man in the mutability [ IX] and instability of it? Insomuch that the judgment of every natural man, destitute of true light and faith, which doth only consolidate the soul, is like a reed shaken with every wind; he is mutable and various, ready every day, or every year to have a new Faith, and a new Religion; This maketh the Apostle inform us, That one end of the Ministry, Ephes. 4. 14. is, That we be not carried away with every wind of Doctrine; Such empty straws and feathers are we, that any new opinion doth presently seduce us; and therefore the Scripture doth press a sound mind, and an heart established with grace, which is the special preservative against such instability. Aquinas maketh this the reason of the good Angels confirmation in grace, and that they cannot now sin, because such is the perfection and immutability of their natures, that what their understanding doth once adhere unto, they cannot change. Indeed it is thus with God, that his knowledge is unchangeable, but there is no reason to attribute this to Angels, and therefore their confirmation in good, is not so much to be attributed to any intrinsical cause in themselves, as to the grace of God establishing them; But how far short was man newly created of such immutability? How much more then man fallen? From this pollution it is, that we have so many apostates, that there are Seekers, that there are so many Neutrals, that there are so many who think any, in any Religion may be saved. It is true, there may be a just cause of changing our minds in Religion, as when educated in Popery, or when we have received any heretical opinions, but I speak here of that instability which is naturally in the mind of a man, that though he be in the truth, yet there is a proneness to desert it, and to discover much lenity in the matters of Religion. The Remonstrants go too far this way, commending this sinfulness under the name of modesty and humility, and therefore, though in Fundamentals they will grant we may say, This our faith is, This we do believe, yet in other points (which though not fundamentals, yet the errors about them may greatly derogate from the glory of Christ and his grace, as also much prejudice the consolations of those who truly fear God, as their opinions do.) They commend those expressions, Ita nobis videtur, and Salvo meliorum judicio. It is our sententia, not our fides: Now if this were said only in some points, disputed amongst the Orthodox, that are at a great distance from Fundamentals, it might be received; but they extend this further, if not to the foundation-stones, yet to those that immediately join to them, and so do 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , remove such things that will in time endanger the whole structure of Christianity, and so from Remonstrantisme proceed to Socinianism, which is adificari and ruinam, as Tertullian expresseth it ( De praesc. ) Such an edification many unsettled spirits meet with.

[ X] Tenthly, Original sin doth pollute the mind of a man with pride and vain-glory, so that he is easily puffed up with his own conceits, and altogether ignorant of his ignorance. The Apostle Col. 2. 18. saith of some, Vainly puffed up with a fleshly mind. This Tumor, this Tympany in the mind hath been the cause of most heresies in the Church. The Gnostics boasted in their knowledge, and had their name from it. The Eunomians did vainly and blasphemously brag,

And some in these later days have not been afraid to compare themselves above the Apostles for gifts and illuminations. So that whereas everyone should with wise Augur, say humbly, I have not the understanding of a man, I am more brutish then any man: Or with Austin, when one admiring his learning used this expression, Nihil te latet; he answered again, Nihil tristius legi, because he knew the falsehood of it, because of his ignorance even in innumerable places of Scripture: They equalize themselves to Angels, yea to God himself. This pride, this self-conceit is a worm bred in the rose, and the more parts men have, the more doth this disease increase. Matthew Paris relateth of a great Scholar, much admired for his learning, who in his Lectures once in the Schools, proving the Divine Nature, and also Incarnation of Christ with mighty applause, did most arrogantly say, upon which blasphemy he was immediately stricken with ignorance, and such sottishness, that he was afterwards taught the Lord's Prayer by a little child. This pride of mind is worse then all other pride; And certainly that is a great effect of original sin upon us, that we are apt to take such contemplative delight about our own notions and apprehensions, being therein guilty of spiritual fornication. This pride of mind is seen also in owning and defending even the truths of God, not as his, but as they are our own opinions, out of which we may raise our own glory, whereas truth is not mine, of thine, or a third man's, but the Lord's, Cave ne privatum dixeris ne à veritate privemur.

Eleventhly, Original sin polluteth the mind in regard of the difference and diversity [ XI] of thoughts and judgments of men in the things of God. Had Adam continued in the state of integrity, all had been of one mind, of one way: In Heaven also, when all imperfection shall be done away, they shall all think and speak the same things; but now there are divisions and different ways in Religion, one admiring that which another condemneth, which proclaimeth that man hath a Babel upon his understanding. It is no wonder, that among Philosophers there were such infinite Sects; for if you view that part of the world which owneth the Christian Religion, what varieties, what differences, what oppositions are there, and that though we have the Scripture to guide us? This doth evidently manifest, That the mind of man is filled with deep pollution by original sin.

Twelfthly, The horrible pollution of the mind is seen in its aptness to receive all [ XII] the Devils impressions and delusions, so that the most horrid and dreadful blasphemies that can be imagined, have yet been entertained and broached by some men. Now the Devil could never possess the mind of a man so, but because of this original corruption. Some there were called Caiani, that boasted of Cain, and commended Esau, yea Judas, and that he did not sin in betraying Christ. Some have called the holy Trinity, Triceps Cerberus. Some have thought themselves Christ, and the Spirit of God. Now how could these devilish delusions be ever believed, if the mind had been free from sin? The Enthusiasmes; The Revelations that the Monasterii Anabaptis, as also John of Leiden pretended to, upon which they acted resolutely and violently, may abundantly teach us, what monstrous births the mind of a man will deliver, if left to itself: So that what is said of the Devil incubus, bodily, is much more true of the mind: What will not the understanding of a man believe, and be resolute for, when it hath once, ( Pleniorem gratiam à Diabolo ) obtained more of the Devils grace, as Tertullian speaks ironically of some Heretics, De praesc.

Thirteenthly, In this is original pollution discovered, that the knowledge we [ XIII] have, and the light we enjoy▪ whether imbred or acquired, without God's grace we are the worse for it; So that our understanding in us is but like a sword in a mad man's hand, by it we fight against God, and set with all enmity against divine things. The more knowledge without grace, the greater opposition to Christ. The learned men very often have been the Patriarchs of all heresies; They brought in a Stoieum, Platonicum, Dialecticum Christianismum, as Tertullian speaketh; They brought in a Platonical, an Aristotolical Christianity: Insomuch that Religion hath suffered far more from unsound learning then ignorance, though indeed sanctified learning hath been greatly instrumental to propagate the Kingdom of Christ.

Lastly, The mind is polluted and weakened by original sin, even in the knowledge [ XIV] of natural things: Insomuch that there is little or nothing known certainly by us; Our knowledge cometh in by the senses, and they (as Philo alludeth) like Lot 's children make their father drunk, they hinder us of true knowledge. The Academici thought nothing was known certainly in natural things; And Cerda on Tertullian makes Lactantius and Arnobius to incline to that opinion; Certainly, our knowledge in natural things is very weak and confused. The Devil indeed, though he hath lost all spiritual knowledge, yea, and (as some say) is wounded much in his natural abilities, yet still he retaineth much knowledge, called therefore 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , but man hath a body that doth much clogg and press down his soul, and hence his ignorance is greater.

Thus we have in a short Table represented the manifold pollution upon man's understanding by original sin; more particulars happily might have been instanced, but these may suffice to make us astonished and amazed at ourselves: Oh how incurable art thou when thy mind is thus defiled! that is the watchman in thy soul to keep off all sin, and if the watchman be blind, how hopeless is it? It's this that makes such an obstruction in conversion, which is wrought first upon the mind; while therefore that ignorance, that folly, that unbelief reigneth there, no Ministry, no Preaching doth any good: Oh that thou didst know thy ignorance, what a beast thou art! How foolish and destitute of all true wisdom? How quickly then wouldst thou spread out thy arms to receive Christ in the fullness of his Offices? Yea it's the corruption on your minds that makes you not able to understand even this Sermon: Oh then be as those blind men, crying and praying, Lord, that we might receive our sight!

SECT. I.

H Itherto we have been discovering original sin, as seated in the understanding, the Metropolis (as it were) of the soul. We now proceed to manifest it, as polluting the Conscience of every man by nature; and certainly this is more lamentable and dreadful then the former; For if the understanding be amongst the other powers of the soul, as gold amongst other metals, conscience is the pearl or diamond in that gold; If the understanding be the eye of the soul, conscience is the apple of the eye: who would not think that our conscience like Job 's messenger had escaped in the fall of Adam, bringing us tidings of all the spiritual loss we had thereby, only that was not hurt, but this Text will inform us, That from the head to the sole of the feet (as it were) there was no place free, but that we are totum vnlnus, so many Lazarus 's, not one place without these spiritual ulcers.

For the understanding of the Text, we may take notice, that Titus exercising his ministerial office now at Crete (whether as a settled officer and Metropolitan, which some highly contend for, or rather as a temporary and extraordinary officer, an Evangelist, is not here to be disputed.) Paul writeth this Epistle to him concerning his end, why he left him there, and also exciteth him to a lively performance of his office, especially in a sharp and severe rebuking of them, because of their doting still about Jewish fables and ceremonies, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , clearly without ambiguities, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , so Varinus, or 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , so Hesychius, or cuttingly (as it were) to go to the bottom of the putrefied sore, that no unsound core be left behind, so Illyricus. And to evidence the crime of the Cretans the more, he brings a testimony from Epimenides, whom he calls their Prophet by way of conception, for they esteemed him so, sacrificing to him, for he pretended in furious fits to be like one acted with a divine spirit and rapture. Now this famous brand he stigmatizeth the Cretans with, That they were always liars, &c. And although Epemenides, being a Cretian, it might be retorted that he lied in saying, The Cretans were liars, yet the speech is to be understood not of everyone, but of the general part, and therefore the Apostle saith, This witness is true; From whence Aquinas gathereth,

The use here is not so much for confirmation, as conviction; if you ask, Why must these Cretans be so sharply rebuked for their Doctrine about Jewish Ceremonies, seeing Rom. 14. The Apostle doth there prescribe another deportment to such ( viz. ) of for bearance and condescension? The Answer is, Those that are there spoken of, were such as did err out of infirmity and weakness, but these in Crete were such as did obstinately and pertinaciously defend these false Doctrines, therefore they must be severely dealt with, yet the end of this censure is medicinal, That they may be sound in the faith, all error is a sickness and a disease.

The Apostle having thus informed about Titus his duty, he proceedeth to some Doctrinal Instruction about those erroneous opinions, instancing in one, which was greatly controverted in the Infancy of the Church, and that is about the choice of meats and abstinence from them. To obviate any corrupt Doctrine herein, he layeth down this weighty Proposition, To the pure all things are pure, that is, to such who are sanctified by the Christian saith, and are righly instructed in Christian liberty, all things ( viz. ) of this kind (not adultery, fornication, or such sins) are pure to them, they may lawfully use them: Every creature as the Apostle elsewhere, being sanctified by the Word of God and prayer. This Truth he amplifieth by the contrary Proposition, To the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, this is more then if he had said, All things are unclean, for that might have been limited, as in the former to things of this kind, but saying, that nothing is pure to them, is signified hereby, that all is pitch (as it were) that the, touch; That like a Leper, even good things do not purify them, but they defile them: And then you have the cause and fountain of this, Even their mind and conscience is defiled; No wonder the streams are polluted, when the fountains are: By mind, is meant the speculative part of our understanding, by conscience, the practical part; and therefore having spoken of the pollution of the former, we now proceed to the later.

This Text is deservedly brought by Protestant Authors to prove, that all the actions of unregenerate persons, and much more of Infidels, are altogether sin, that there is not one truly-good action to be found amongst them, and that because the mind and coscience is thus all over polluted. The Popish Interpreters, because they are for the Negative, yea some going so far, as to plead for the salvation of Infidels, though without the knowledge of Christ, do limit the Text too much, as if it were only to be understood of those whose minds were not informed with true knowledge, nor their consciences rightly guided in those Disputes about Judaical Ceremonies, as if to such only all things were unclean; but although these persons gave the occasion, yet the Apostle maketh an universal Proposition, and therefore he doth not only say, the defiled, but unbehevers, which comprehends all those that have no true knowledge of Christ; and the reason is univocally belonging to everyone, for every man's mind and conscience without saith is polluted, and cannot please God.

The Fountain thus cleared, this stream of Doctrine floweth from it, ( viz. )

That the consciences of all men by nature are polluted and defiled; Even their mind and constience (saith the Text) signifying by that expression, that there remaineth no hope (as it were) for them, when the foundations are thus removed. To this defiled conscience in Scripture is opposite 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , a good conscience, 1 Pet. 3. 16. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , 1 Tim. 3. 9 a pure or clean, and that by the blood of Christ, Heb. 9. 14. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , Heb. 13. 18, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , Act. 24. 16. And this kind of conscience only those that are regenerate have: But an evil conscience is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , as here in the Text 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , as Heb. 9. 22. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , 1 Tim. 4. 2. There is also 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , a weak conscience, but that the godly may have. The conscience were are to treat upon is the defiled one, and that not so much as made more impure and sinful by voluntary impieties, as what it is by nature in evey one; And before we come to demonstrate the pollution of it, it is good to take notice of the nature of it. The New Testament useth the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 about thirty times, and that for conscience. In the Old Testament the Hebrew word Madani is once rendered, Eccles. 10. by 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , but most commonly that which in the New Testament is called conscience in the old is called Leb, the heart of a man: So Davia 's heart is said to smite him, apponere ad cor, and redire, and cor, are nothing, but the acts of conscience, and thus sometimes in the New Testament, 1 John 3. 20. If our heart condemn us. It's observed that the first signification of the word Leb, is a conspersion, or meal sprinkled with water: Thus the heart of a man is a lump (as it were) watered and sprinkled with some common principles and apprehensions about God, and what is good and evil: As for the nature of conscience itself, it is not good to be too nice in Scholastical Disputes about it, remembering that of Bernard, There was Multum seientiae, but param conscientiae in the world. It's disputed, Whether conscience be a power or an habit, or an act only? that it is not a power Aquinas proveth, because that can never be removed, or laid aside, or changed, whereas conscience may; Some say therefore it's an habit, others, as Aquinas and D ^r Ames, answering M ^r Perkins his Objection, Why it cannot be an act, that it is an act? But certainly, as scientia is sometimes taken for that which is by way of a principle or habit in man, and sometimes for that which is by way of act; So also it is with conscience, it taketh into its nature both that practical habit (called by