A Christian Instruction Containing the Law and the Gospel, Exposition 2 · Part 32
Of the compariſon and agreement of the firſt eſtate, and of the fal of man, with that of the Angels, and their firſt eſtate: and in to what neceſſitie man hath brought himſelfe throughe his ſinne.
T.
J Vnderſtand wel by that which thou haſt ſaid, what the nature & wyll of man ſhould hauehave byn, if he had continued in the firſt eſtate in which God did create him. For as concerning his wil, it ſhould neceſſarily hauehave byn ruled by the will of god, as that of the Angels which hauehave remained ſtedfaſt, is at this peſent: in ſuch ſort that he ſhold hauehave byn no more able to ſinne than they: and ſo ſhould not at al hauehave loſte the libertye of his wyll, nor done anye thyng by conſtrainte. And euen ſo ſhoulde hée hauehave béene in a good neceſſitye, whych ſhoulde hauehave procéeded from the riches of the goodneſſe and grace wherewith GOD had endued him and made him a part taker of it. But when he turned from this way, it came to paſſe wyth hym as it dyd wyth the Angels, when they turned from GOD, and hath declared thereby, that hee was in ſuche ſorte created of GOD, good and iuſte, and of a good and holy will, and yet was he notwythſtandyng not ſo created that he ſhoulde or mought bée vnchangeable of hys own nature and force, for the cauſes which hauehave bene already alleged, which in their behalfe doe as much pertayne to man as to the Angels. Wherefore ſéeyng that manne throughe the intycing and counſell of the Deuil, which was the fyrſte trangeſſor, is turned awaye from the wyll and obedyence of GOD hys Creatour, and dyd make an aliance with the firſte offender, who made himſelf enimy to God through his pride and ingratitude, he hath ben parte taker of his iniquitie, with whome hée made an aliance. From whence it foloweth, that his good and holye nature & will hath bene corrupted and peruerted, and made like to the ſame, of him to whō he hath ioined himſelf, & that he hath takē hym not onelyonly for his felow, but for his guide, his leader, his maiſter, & his Lord. Wherfore, euen as before, abiding vnited and ioyned to God, and hauing God in him, and being gouerned by hys holie ſpirit, he could do nothing but good, and yt without enforcemēt or conſtraint: euē ſo by ye contrarie being ſeparated frō god, & ioyned with the deuill, being lead and gouerned by him, he can doe nothing but euill, and doth it of his owne wyll, without conconſtraint of any but only of him ſelfe, onelyonly bycauſe his nature is ſuch, by reaſon whereof he taketh as great pleaſure in doyng of euill, as he did in well doing, when he was in his firſte ſtate of innocency. Now this neceſſity is greatly different from the firſt. For in ſteade that the firſt did procéede from the aboundant riches of the grace of god, this other procéedeth from the lacke and faulte of the ſame. Wherefore that is as wicked, as ye firſte is bleſſed. It ſéemeth to me that I hauehave touched the very ſame thing yt thou woldeſt hauehave concluded vpō.
D.
Yet ſhalt thou more plainly vnderſtande it by the compariſon of a whole man, and a ſicke man. Note well a man that is whole of body and minde, bicauſe that he hath his appetite ſound, and not corrupted by any naughty humors, he doth couet nor deſire to eate & drinke any thing but that which is good, and agréeable to hys nature and health, and in ſuch qualitie and quantitie as his nature and health doth require, bycauſe he is ſo diſpoſed. Conſider againe the ſame being ſicke, he will do al things contrary to that which he did being hole, bycauſe he is wholly otherwiſe diſpoſed: That will he moſte couet and deſyre which is moſt contrary to him, and can not refraine from the vſe of it, and the more the thing ſhalbe contrary and hurtfull for him, and the more ſtraitly that he ſhall be forbiddē it, the more earneſtly ſhal he deſire it. And yet may he not complaine and ſaye that he was conſtrained ſo to doe, either by the phiſition, or others which hauehave forbidden him the ſame, and that his will was inforced by anye other than by himſelf which periſheth willinglye, for that he is ſo delicate, that he cannot vanquiſhe his affections, & his corrupted nature.
T.
The matter is plaine.