The Sacred Philosophy of the Holy Scripture, Article 2 · Chapter 15
CHAP. XV. That Man was created innocent and without Sinne.
THis may appeare by the conſideration of thoſe excellencies which belong to the Creator. For no cauſe can worke contrary to the being, and perfections of it ſelfe. But if the cauſe bee powerfull and able to bring forth the effect, then muſt the effect alſo bee perfect and upright, and eſpecially free from that which is moſt contrary to the cauſe thereof. But it is before manifeſt that all things had their beginnings from God the moſt powerfull and working of all cauſes: and becauſe of the infinitie of his goodneſſe and iuſtice, hating wickedneſſe and ſinne above all things; therefore as all his creature was exceeding good, ſo it followes likewiſe that man (as farre as he had any being from God) was alſo good and upright in his being, and ſo without ſinne.
2. The ability and excellency of the end is more then the worthineſſe of all thoſe thing which are ordained for the end. But it is manifeſt, that all the viſible creature of this world was created for mans uſe; that he was prince and Lord of all. For by the Law of nature, and iuſtice that ought to bee chiefe which hath moſt excellency above other. Now to ſet aſide the abilities of the minde in the knowledge of things eternall and divine, whereof no other bodily creature hath any feeling or underſtanding: what creature under the whole heaven, in the earth, or Sea, may ſet it ſelfe in compariſon with man for thoſe gifts which the Creator hath vouchſaf to him, in the uſe of all things, in the knowledge of their nature, in memory and remembrance, in the inventions of arts, in the guiding and compelling of the creature to his ſervice, or utter deſtruction of the rebellious. And therefore both in the creation, Gen. 1.28. and againe after the floud, the type of Regeneration, 1 Pet. 3.21. were they all delivered into the power of man. Now if all theſe things were for man, and his uſe, and they every one good in their kinde, much more was man good and upright in his creation.
3. Every thing is more ex…ellent, as it is for a more excellent and noble end. But the end of man is more excellent than all the creature beſide. For they are for his uſe as their end, but man for the ſervice and glory of God as his end, in the attainement of which alone hee can be happy. And becauſe that which is for any end, muſt have conditions or fitneſſe for that end; it was neceſſary that man ſhould bee created without ſinne, which above all other things the ſoule of his Creator did hate, and for which alone he was put out of his ſervice.
4. Every corruption or marring of a thing muſt needs bee of that which was once good; and the greater the perfection thereof was, the worſe is the corruption or wickedneſſe that is therein. But it is too manifeſt that the nature of man is moſt corrupt; therefore it was once very good and upright.
5. If God had made man ſuch as man now is, rebellious and unthankefull towards Himſelfe; a plague and calamity to other men through injury, pride, and oppreſſion, a ſlaue to his owne ſenſuall deſires in gluttony and filthie luſt; ignorant of the truth, an enemy to all good, following with greedineſſe all manner of ill; ſubject as to Sinne, ſo to the due puniſhment thereof, all manner of miſery, ſickneſſe, and death, both of body and ſoule; then had Hee brought the greateſt diſorder into the creature, even there where order was moſt neceſſary, that is, in the prince and Lord thereof, yea ſuch diſorder as ſhould be contrary to it ſelfe, in reſpect of that hatred which men have one toward another: then would he not in juſtice have brought thoſe puniſhments on men which are due for their ſinne in this life, and damnation in that which is to come. But all theſe things are againſt the wiſdome, goodneſſe, and juſtice of God. Therefore man was created in a Contrary eſtate, of innocency, Iuſtice, and holineſſe.
6. This truth the holy text doth ſhew. For beſide that which is ſaid Gen. 1.31. That God ſaw every thing that he had made, and behold it was very good; it is ſaid of man in particular, that hee was created in the image of God. Which becauſe it is there three times repeated; it is neceſſarie to conſider what that threefold Image of God in man is, that it may the better appeare what his excellency was, and how great that loſſe was, which hee indured by his ſinne againſt ſo gracious a Creator. Some among the moſt ancient Fathers, as Irenaeus and Tertullian, thought that the Mediator in that forme wherein he afterward appeared in our fleſh and was ſeene and knowne to Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moſes, and many of the Prophets, (for which they were called Seers 1 Sam. 9.9.) formed man of the duſt of the earth. The word there uſed is foreign Kidmuthenu, according to our likeneſſe, and ſignifies to be like by cutting or carving, and ſo the word foreign uſed Gen. 2.7. & 8. which ſignifies to faſhion out of clay like a Potter, ſeemes to favour this interpretation. (you may ſee herewith Rom 9.21. and thinke on it) Bucanus alſo Inſt. Theol. Loc. 8. q. 18. confeſſeth that there is nothing in his opinion, but according to the Analogy of faith, and brings his reaſon to juſtifie it. Yet as if he had forgot himſelfe, he condemnes Oſiander of madnes that followes it lib. cit. loc. 9. q. 15. And becauſe other late Doctors though without reaſon diſallow this judgement of the antient fathers, ſee Med. Patr. Scult. de nevis Iren. & Tertull. Roberts Fund. Rel cap. 17. I leave it in the middeſt, till further proofe of the truth be made on the one ſide, or the other. Notwithſtanding man is truely ſaid to bee created in the image, or according to the image of Elohim, or Chriſt the Creator, either naturally, or elſe ſupernaturally: naturally; either according to the ſtate of his body, or of his ſoule, or of the whole compoſition: his body is an abridgment or compound of all bodily being, becauſe there is nothing in the bodily creature, which is not in ſome ſort in that little world of mans body, as reaſon proves by his food, and medicine, out of all bodies here below; and as the Phyſitians, and all naturalliſts affirme, and as Paracelſus more particularly every where ſhewes and proves. So that as all things even bodily beings, were created in Chriſt, and therefore were in Him eminently, by their formes, and potentially, as being by Him brought into act, or effect: So are they all in the body of man repreſentatively: and though by his ſinne ſubject to the curſe, as he their Presbyter is; yet ſhall they bee delivered from this bondage of corruption, when the glorious liberty of the Sonnes of God, ſhall appeare, Rom. 8.19.20. to 24. And concerning the ſoule, if you looke into the faculties thereof, beyond them that concerne the body alone in growth, and ſenſe; if in the underſtanding you conſider the powers of the imagination or thought, of the diſcourſe, of memory, of the will and the freedome ther…of, in civill and morall thi gs; you may trul… ſay, that all things are ſubject to their Lord and Creator; ſo hath Hee made all things ſubiect to the poſſibilities of mans underſtanding, in as much as the Spirit of man conſiders all things; yea preſumes to ſearch even the deepe things of God. Now one ſoule with all theſe properties argues the wonderfull excellency thereof; and what a lively ſtampe of his wiſdome He hath imprinted therein. But becauſe the whole of every thing is more excellent then the parts which are for the perfection of the whole, and that the ſoule out of the body, hath no power of growth, of ſence, of imagination (and becauſe it would not be deſtitute of the native abilities and powers of it ſelfe, it parts ſo unwillingly from the body, & cannot poſſibly forſake it for ever, as it will appeare hereafter) therefore the excellency of that image appeares not onelyonly in the parts, as I have ſhewed, but much more in the compound of the body and ſoule together, wherein are all things both bodily and ſpirituall ſo repreſented, as that the ſhape of a man cannot bee more lively ſeene in a looking glaſſe, than the whole creature is repreſented in man, the epitome or ſumme of all.
Moreover, what is there in all nature which hee makes not art to imitate? yea and beyond any pattern… in nature, adventures in a frame of wood? to compaſſe both land and Sea, what arts doth not he finde out, and becauſe hee knowes hee cannot come to nought, what dares he not to undertake in peace or warre? And if every effect doe repreſent the cauſe, with the power, & vertues thereof, as it is ſaid, Pſal. 19. & Rom. 1.29. then much more that which is the ſumme and principle effect of all. And this is that threefold image in which Adam was created, and which remaines unblotted out, yet wonderfully ſtayned in every man, Gen. 9.6. & 1 Cor. 11.7. But becauſe it is ſpoken of the whole man, that hee was created in the image of God; you are to underſtand that Image firſt in the naturall compoſition of his body and ſoule, as I have ſhewed: Secondly, in regard of his Lordſhip over all this viſible creature: and thirdly, and moſt of all in thoſe ſupernaturall endowments of righteouſneſſe and holineſſe wherein he was created. Eph. 4.24. Col. 3.10. Wiſd. 2.23. With the ability to continue in that ſtate, if hee had not ſinned, and a freedome alſo of will to ſin, or not to ſinne. And thus was Adam the Image of Elohim ſupernaturally, and for the renewing of his Image being now loſt, are all thoſe benefits which God in Chriſt hath vouchſafed to his Church.
Object. 1. But if man were created in the image of God, what preheminence is that which is given unto Chriſt. Col. 1.15. That he is the Image of the inviſible God? An Image is twofold, homogeneous, which is in the perfection of the ſame being, as Adam, Gen. 5.3. begat a Sonne in his owne likeneſſe, after his owne Image; and ſo Chriſt the Sonne of God is the image of the Father, as was ſhewed, chap. 11. or heterogeneous, that is, of a different being, which is either in the underſtanding only, as the Ideas or formes of things conceived in the minde: or elſe materiall, wherein is the repreſentation of ſome property belonging to another, as the image of Alexander may expreſſe that ſhape which was proper to his perſon. And thus man was created in the image of God, as I ſhewed. And if this repreſentation be more darke and further off in ſome one particular thing, it is rather called a ſigne, a proofe, a footſtep, or marke than an Image. As the pricking of an hare in the ſnow, is a marke or ſigne that ſhe hath beene there. And thus every thing created is a ſigne or marke of the power of the Creator, as the matier, forme or proprietie in one being, is a ſtep, ſigne or argument of the Trinity in the Vnity, that is, a proofe thereof, as every effect is a proofe or witneſſe of the cauſe.