The Account Reckoning and Confession of Faith, Article 4 – Article 5
¶The fourth Article.
FOurthly, I knowe that that great graundfathers father, our fyrſt father Adā through ſelfe louelove, by the ſubtyle ſuggeſtion, wycked temptacion and enuious coūſel of the deuel, was allured to thys pointe, to couet to be made lyke vntounto God. And when he had committed that ſynne, he taſted of the forbydden and moſte daungerous frute,Of originall ſynne. wherby he fel into ye faute and gyltineſſe of moſt horrible death and dampnacion, made therby the ſtubburne aduerſarie and enemye of hys God. Wherfore whā God myght of equitie and ryght hauehave vtterly deſtroyed hym, yet beyng moſte graciouſe Lorde vntounto him, he chaunged his euerlaſtynge payne and punyſhment into a ſtate, that is, to make hym a bond ſeruaunt, whome he myght hauehave worthelye punyſhed wyth euerlaſtyng death and vtter deſtruccion.
For aſmuch than, as neither he, nor yet any that is borne of hym can take awaye thys ſtate and condicion of bō dage (for a bondman can not but beget another bond mā) he hath by the deadly taſtyng of the forbyddē frute,They are called bōd that are ſaued, whan of right they might hauehave bene kylled by their takers. keſt all hys poſteritie into bondage. Nowe therfore touchynge original ſynne I thynke thus:
That is truly called ſynne, whych is cōmitted againſt ye lawe: for where no lawe is, there is no tranſgreſſion. And where no tranſgreſſion is, there is no ſynne, as ſynne is properlye taken, that is, ſo far as ſynne is a dede, a faute, an acte or offence. Therfore I acknowlege that our fyrſt father ſynned a ſinne, that is ſinne in dede, that is to ſay, an acte a faute, and a deteſtable thynge. But they that are borne of hym hauehave not ſynned after that maner. For whyche of vsus hauehave bytten wyth our teeth and eaten the forbydden frute in Paradice? Wherfore wil we nyl we, we are cōpelled to graunt that original ſynne as it is in the children of Adam, is not properly ſynne, as it is nowe declared, for properly it is not an acte or dede cōmitted agaīſt the lawe. But it may properly be called, a byrthſore, a naturall ſyckneſſe & diſeaſe, and alſo it may be called a ſinful ſtate and cōdicion. A diſeaſe it is, for as he of ſelf louelove fel, ſo we alſo fal It is alſo a ſynful ſtate or condicion: for lyke as he by his ſynne was made bond and ſubiecte to death, ſo we alſo are borne bond, the childrē of wrath, and ſubiecte to death. Al be it I paſſe nothynge yf thys diſeaſe and condicion after Paules maner be called ſyn, yea it is ſuche a ſynne, that who ſo euer are borne in it are the enemies & aduerſaries of God: for hither the ſynful ſtate of our byrth draweth vsus, and not the actual cōmittynge of offence, excepte ſo farre as oure fyrſt parent hath cōmitted it once. Therfore the very cauſe of enmitie & death is the ſynne and offente committed of Adā,Synne is the cauſe of mannes miſerie. and that is verely ſynne. But this ſyn whych cleaueth to vsus in our concepcion is verely a natural diſeaſe & a ſynfull ſtate, yea a neceſſitie of dyenge. Notwythſtandyng that neuer ſhulde hauehave ben by byrth onelyonly, had not offence fyrſt defyled the byrth. Synne therfore is the cauſe of mannes myſery, and not the byrth. But of byrth it is none otherwiſe, than of it that foloweth of the foūtayne and principall cauſe. The confirmacion of this ſentence is grounded both vponupon authoritie and exēple,Roman. 5. Paule ſpeaketh thus: Yf by the ſynne of one,Autoritie death reygned by the meanes of one: muche more they (whyche receyue abundaunce of grace, and of the gyfte of ryghteouſnes) ſhal raigne in lyfe by the meanes of one, that is to ſaye, Ieſus Chriſt. Here we ſe that ſynne is properly taken. for this one, is Adam, throughe whoſe fall death hāgeth ouer our neckes. Agayne the ſame Paule ſayeth: All hauehave ſynned and hauehave nede of the glorie,Roman. 3. that is, the goodnes & lyberalytie of God. Here ſynne is taken for the diſeaſe, ſtate and byrth, that we al are ſayd to ſynne, yea before we are powred out into thys lyght, that is, we are in the ſtate and condicion of ſynne and death, yea before we ſynne in acte or dede, whyche ſentence vnauoydably is agayne ſtrengthned by theſe wordes:Roman. 5. Neuertheleſſe death raigned from Adam to Moſes, euen ouer them alſo which had not ſynned wyth lyke tranſgreſſion as dyd Adā. Loo, death is vponupon vsus, albeit we hauehave not ſynned lyke as Adam dyd. Wherfore? For he ſynned in dede, but ſeyng we hauehave not ſynned after ye maner, why dothe death deuoure vsus? For he is dead becauſe of ſynne, and beynge dead, that is, iudged to death, he hath begottē vsus. Therfore we alſo dye, but thorowe hys faute, and by our owne ſynfull ſtate and diſeaſe, or yf thou wylt, by ſynne, but takē vnproperly.Exemple. The ſtate ſprīgheth of the fawte. The exēple is ſuche: one takē priſoner in battel, by his vntruth, diſloyaltie & ennemitie hath well deſerued to be a bondmā. They that ar borne of him, that is, the bondmannes children are made bond, not by faute, acte or offence on theyr behalfe, but by ſtate & condicion, whych followed the faute: for theyr father of whome they were begotten, had deſerued that by offence. The chyldrē hauehave not ye offēce, but the punyſhment & penaltie of the offence, that is, the ſtate or condicion, the bō dage and priſon. Yf ye luſt to cal theſe thynges offence, becauſe they are executed and miniſtred for offence, I forbyd you not. To be ſhort.
I acknowledge this originall ſynne by condicyon & infeccyō to ſpring in al mē which are begotten through the affectyon of man and woman.
And I knowe:Ephe. 2. that we are by nature the chyldrē of wrath: but thorow grace, whych by the ſecond Adam Chriſt hath reſtored the fall, I dowt not to be receyued amonge the chyldren of God, and that after thys maner that foloweth:
¶The .v. Article.
It is raſſhnes to condempne infantes dyeng withowt baptym of water.FYftly. Doutleſſe thys is euident: Yf in Chriſt the ſeconde Adam we are reſtored vntounto lyfe, lyke as in the fyrſt Adā we are gyuen ouer to death, than do we raſhly cōdempne the chyldren borne to chriſten parentes, yea and the chyldren of the heythen alſo. For yf Adam by ſynnynge could deſtroye all mankynde, and Chriſte by dyeng hath not quickened and redemed all mankynde frō the great myſery brought in by hym, then is not lyke the ſaluacion reſtored by Chriſt, and ſo (whych God forbyd) thys ſcripture is not true:1. Cor. 15. He wyll not diffine of the infā tes of the heythen. As in Adam al dye, ſo in Chriſt are al reſtored to lyfe.
But howe ſo euer men determine of the infantes of the heythen, thys certaynly we affirme, becauſe of the power of ſaluacion perfourmed by Chriſt, that they raſhly gyue ſentence wythout reaſonable cauſe, that iudgeth them to the euerlaſtynge curſe, partlye, for the ſayd cauſe of reſtauracion by Chriſt, and partly, for the free eleccion of God, whych foloweth not fayth, but fayth it, wherof I wyl ſpeake more in the article folowyng. For they whyche are choſen from euerlaſting, doutleſſe are choſen before they hauehave fayth. Therfore they whych for lacke of age hauehave not fayth, ought not vnaduiſedly to be condempned of vsus. For albeit they hauehave it not yet, yet goddes elecciō is hyd from vsus, of whō yf they be electe, we iudge to haſtelye of thynges to vsus vnknowen.
Neuertheleſſe touchynge the infā tes of Chriſtianes we diffine otherwyſe, that is to ſaye:He diffinyth of the infantes of chriſtianes that ſo many as are the infantes of Chriſtianes are of the congregacion of Goddes people, and partes & membres of his church, whych we proue of thys wyſe: By the wytneſſes almoſte of al the prophetes it is promyſed that the cōgregaciō of ye heythē ſhulde be gathered together to the churche of Goddes people. And Chriſt hym ſelfe ſayeth: Many ſhall come from the Eaſte and from the Weſt and ſhal ſytte wyth Abraham, Iſaac and Iacob in the kyngdome of heauen.Math. 8. Marc. 16. And: Go ye into al the world and preache. &c. But to the churche of the Iewes their infantes perteyned aſwel as the Iewes them ſelues.
Therfore no leſſe pertayne our infantes vntounto the churche of Chriſt, than in tyme paſt the infantes of the Iewes. For yf it were otherwyſe,Gene. 17. then were not the promyſe perfourmed and ratifyed: for than we ſhulde not equally ſytte with Abraham in Goddes kingdome. Doutleſſe he was nombred to the church wyth them, whych alſo after the fleſhe were borne of hym. But yf our infantes be not ſo nombred wyth theyr parentes, as were the infantes of the Iewes, thā were Chriſt not indifferent, but parcial and enuious towarde vsus, denying to vsus that, that he had gyuen to them of olde. whych were to muche wyckednes to affirme. For otherwyſe al the prophecies concernyng ye callyng of the Gē tyls ſhulde be made of none effecte. Therfore, for aſmuche as the infātes of the Chriſtianes are aſwel of the viſible church of Chriſt, as are theyr parentes or other that be of age, it is euident that they are aſwel of theyr nomber whōe we iudge elect, as are theyr parentes. For thys cauſe it is, that I iudge them to do wyckedlye and preſumptuouſly, whyche appoint to condemnacyon the infantes of Chriſtianes, ſeyng that ſo many playne witneſſes of ſcripture affirme the contrarye. Which ſhewe that the church of the gētyles ſhall not nowe be equall, but much mor large, than the church of the Iewes. All which thynges ſhal nowe be made playne, when we ſhall ſhewe our fayth concernyng the Churche