The Substance of Christian Religion, Lecture 3
The Third Lords Day,
Rom. 5. vers. 12.
Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin: and so death passed upon all men, in whom all have sinned.
THe Apostles purpose in this place is to illustrate that Doctrine, which he had before taught concerning justification by Iesus Christ; for which end he makes a comparison of the likeness between this grace of our Lord Iesus Christ, and the sin of Adam, our first Father after the flesh. And the comparison runs upon the efficacy and effects of each of them: The Proposition of the Comparison is in …. 12. and the Reddition to that is after explicated by way of Parenthesis. In the Proposition, Adam is set forth, as the cause of a twofold effect; to wit, of the bringing in of sin, and of the bringing in of Death. And the reason of the Connexion of these effects with that cause is given in the last words of this verse, to wit, from the conjunction that all had with Adam in that first sin; in these words, In whom all men, &c.
Doct. 1. Sin entered into the world, not by Gods creation, but by mans defection.
This is manifest in the Text, by man, not by God, &c.
Reas. 1. Because God made man upright and after his own image; that is, not onelyonly free from all sin (which may in some sort also be said of all other Creatures) but also adorned him with all those endowments and faculties, whereby Gods nature might, as it were in a pourtrait be expressed and represented; and by help whereof in keeping of the law, he might have attained unto a certain sort of divine blessedness or felicity. For as there is no fault in a pourtrait, so it be well drawn or made by a perfect workman, unless the fault be in the Original, from whence the pourtait is taken: so also no fault could be in man created according to Gods Image, and that by God himself, unlesse some fault be attributed to God himself, whose Image man is.
Reas. 2. Is, because God did not onelyonly prescribe a law unto man in the Creation, but also engraved it upon his heart; by which means it was, that man had in himself a most certain Testimony of his uprightness, in which and to which, he was created, and withall a most sufficient and ready means of living well and unblameably to God: For the law of God perfectly & purely written in the heart of man, is as it were a solemn Testimony registred in a Table or Book, that man was made fit and able to keep that Law. It is as it were the voice of God sent down from Heaven, whereby man was called and stirred up to observe that way of living, which is taught thereby.
Reas. 3. Because God added thereunto a pledge and Sacrament in the Tree of Life, whereby he would have that Covenant of the Law, written in the heart, more clearly confirmed also outwardly; to wit, that he would by the observation of his Law, first perpetuate mans life in this world unto the solemn justification of him, at his appointed time; and then advance him to a further and heavenly Felicity. And on the other side, he threatens Death unto him, in case he should depart from that Will and Law of God: all which had been done to no purpose, if man had been at first made by God himself, in any measure or manner sinfull and perverse.
Reas. 4. So far was God from being the cause of sin in the first creation of man, that by no means it can be conceived, how God at any time can be the cause of any sin; because, seeing sin is a defect, it can have no other cause, but a deficient one; and God, seeing he is perfection it self, can no ways, nor ever be deficient.
Use Of Direction; that in all our speeches and thoughts we may keep Gods glory untouched and unspotted, and confesse that all the good we have comes alwayes from him; but that all the evill that either we doe, or suffer, ariseth not from him, but from our selves.
Doct. 2. Through Adams first disobedience sin passed upon all his Posterity.
Nor did this happen onelyonly by way of imitation▪ as the Pelagians teach; but also by way of propagation or natural descent. This is proved by this Argument. If this had onelyonly come to pass by imitation, then the Apostle might as properly have said, that Adam with all his Posterity sinned in the Angels, who first fell from God; as to have said, that all men sinned in Adam; because they as much follow the example of the Angels, as of Adam. For it is expressely said, vers. 14. That death (and so also sin) reigned over them, that sinned not after the similitude of Adam: that is, by the imitation of Adam; therefore vers. 19. men are said to be made sinners by Adams disobedience it self.
The manner of this propagation is taken up and understood, 1. To stand in imputation, because that first transgression was held as the transgression of the whole nature of mankinde: For as in the receiving of the benefits and endowments that belonged to all mankinde, Adam bore the place and person of all men; so also it was but right and reason, that he should maintain their place, either in their conservation by obedience, or losse by disobedience, untill they were capable of standing to, or falling from their primitive condition in their own persons. Herein he was as it were the Surety of all mankinde, so that what he did in this businesse, was to be held valid by all, as done in their names. 2. The second degree of this Propagation stands in the derivation, or traduction of that corruption, which by our first transgression seised upon the person of Adam himself. This corruption is usually called the languishing of nature, the seed or tinder of sin, the law of our members, the law of the flesh, lust and sin that dwels in us; but most usually originall sin, because it cleaves unto us even from our first original, and is some way natural unto us, to wit, as in our nature corrupted; also it is the original of all other sins: for all actuall sins flow from this as from their fountain.
This corruption first and principally consists in the privation of original righteousness, the absence whereof, so far as it is penall, is inflicted by God▪ but as it is a privation, having the nature of a fault, to wit, the losse of that rectitude, or right constitution, which we should have kept and preserved entire, it depends upon that relation, that all men have to Adam, and to his first sin.
Now that such corruption naturally is found in all men, is not onelyonly proved from Scriptures, but seems also to be confirmed by experience it self.
Reas. 1. For in all men there appears a manifest perversion of our wils, and inward appetite; as much as spirituall and truly good things are of no good relish to all animall and naturall men: but the contrary evils, which of their own nature have no good rellish, seem to them most sweet: Now as the perversion of the sensitive appetite doth denotate bodily sicknesse; so the perversion of the inmost & most spiritual appetite, doth point forth unto us sicknesse that is inward and in the spirit. The same also may be observed of the perversion of the judgement and understanding, from whence come so many and shamefull errours, whereby good is esteemed evill, and evill good.
Reas. 2. It is manifest that there is in all men a certain rebellion of the inferiour and animall faculties and appetites against the superiour and most spiritual faculties of the soul; which shews the ficknesse of the upper part, as not having strength enough to govern the lower; and again a disorder and confusion of the inferiour faculties, whereby they will not be subject to their Superiour. For as as every infirmity, debility and perturbation in the body, so also in the soul, hath its cause of sicknesse, disease, or certain corruption from the depravation of other parts.
Reas. 3. There may be observed in all, a certain natural crouching of our selves to things that are below us; and a certain aversion and turning away from those, that are above us, and for which we were made; so that there are few amongst men, that live not more like beasts, stooping naturally to their belly-food, and bowing towards the ground, than according to the nature of man whose body was erected to look up to heaven and seek after God. Now as a crouching in the constitution and fashioning of the body, is a sign of a bodily: sicknesse; so also this soul crouching of the spirit doth manifestly declare some foul sickness of the spirit.
Reas. 4. There appears manifestly in all men, a certain insensibleness from nature it self, in discerning of things truly good, and truly evill; howbeit there is a far greater sweetness in true spiritual good things, than in corporall; and a far greater bitterness and sowreness in spiritual, than in carnall evils: Now this insensibleness and spiritual blockishnes is a manifest defect, and vice cleaving to us from our very original, even as the want of any outward sense is a great defect and fault of the body.
Reas. 5. Experience teatheth with how great difficulty and slowness men are stirred up to things that are truly good; therefore as it is the definition of a good habit, that makes a man ready and quick unto good works; so must it be an evill and corrupt habit, whereby the contrary comes to passe; because slowly and with difficulty men set themselves to any good endeavours.
Reas. 6. It is well enough known to all, that man hath not the power to do so much good, as he knows should be done, and as he desires to doe: Wherefore when one hath not the power to move the members of his body, it is a manifest disease that hinders its motion; so where one hath not the power to move himself spiritually, it is a manifest spiritual disease; as when there is difficulty of corporal motion, and one moves his body with great pains, it discovers a great weaknesse of his body; even as this other doth a weaknesse of the spirit.
Use 1. For Humiliation, by reason of this misery.
2. Of Exhortation, that we rest not, till we perceive that by the grace of God we are freed from this misery.
3. For Direction, that in our Prayers before God; and in all parts of our care for amendment of our life, we may chiefly go about this, that not onelyonly in our outward words and works, as being but the rivulets and branches of our sin, we be reformed; but that in the fountain and root of this sin dwelling in us, we may be cleansed and renewed.