A Treatise of Original Sin, Part 1 · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV.
Objections against the Naturality of Original Sinne anſwered.
SECT. I.
THe Naturality of original ſinne hath been in divers reſpects aſſerted. I ſhall therefore conclude this Text with anſwers to ſome Objections that are made againſt this Doctrine: I do not mean againſt original ſinne it ſelf, for they are various; ſo unwilling is man to be convinced that he is wholly ſinful, but againſt the Naturality of it, which this Text doth affirm: Neither ſhall I take in all Objections of this kind, becauſe they will be met with, on ſome other Texts; only I ſhall pitch upon one or two, whereby your underſtandings may be more fully cleared in this point, and ſo I ſhall part with this Text.
Firſt therefore, Object.it hath been enviouſly of old objected againſt this Truth, That if there were ſuch a natural pollution adhering to all mankind, this would redound to the diſhonour of God, who is the Author of man. This Argument the Pelagians of old inſulted with, If (ſay they) any man hold, God is the maker of man, preſently he is called a Pelagian; for thus they flouriſhed, If there be original ſinne, either the parents that beget, or the children that are begotten, or God the Creator of the ſoul, and in a peculiar manner forming all the parts of our body, muſt be the cauſe of this ſinne. This Objection they thought unanſwerable, unleſs we ſhould charge God with being the Author of this original defilement. Hence it is that they charged Man…cheiſm upon the Orthodox, as if they thought, that Nature it ſelf was evil. Five things there were, that theſe Hereticks did uſually commend, Nature, Marriage, the Law, Free-will, and Holineſs; none of which they thought could be maintained, unleſs we deny original ſinne.
But when theſe Arguments are fully ſearched into, Anſw.there will appear no matter of boaſting. Let us call the firſt to account, and examine, Whether the Doctrine of original corruption doth charge God fooliſhly, or no? Whether hereby all the ſinne in the world will be laid upon God?
Now there is a three ſold charge drawn up againſt this Truth, as it relateth to God:
1. That it makes him the Author of this ſinne.
2. That it makes him unjuſt, imputing that ſinne of Adam to us, and puniſhing us becauſe of it, when we had no being, or any will of our own to act therein. And
3. Of cruelty, that God who is ſo ready to forgive us our own ſinnes, yet ſhould impute to us Adam's. But theſe are fig leaves only, and cannot cover the Objectors nakedneſs.
SECT. II.
FOr, Firſt, We do not ſay, That the Nature of man as it was created firſt, had this imbred pollution in it, No: it came out of Gods hands pure and clean, Eccleſ. 7. ult. God made man upright. It was after Gods own Image that he made him, he had no experimental knowledge of any evil within him. But as it was with the earth after mans fall, it brought forth bryars and thorns, being curſed, which (as it is thought) it would not have done ſo before. Thus upon Adams tranſgreſſion, then, and not till then, was his ſoul curſed ſpiritually, to bring forth nothing but bryars and thorns, ſuch luſts as were fit combuſtible matter for hell fire: Therefore every Infant almoſt may underſtand this, That the maintaining of this Truth doth not at all redound to Gods diſhonour, for we ſee the like in the Devils, Are not they become wicked ſpirits? Is there not an utter impoſſibility in a Devil to do any thing that is good? Are they not called the ſpiritual wickedneſſes in high places? Epheſ. 6. 12. as if they were nothing, but all over wickedneſs, yet the Devil, though ſo vile and abominable, was made a glorious creature. None of this poiſon was at firſt infuſed into him, but the Apoſtle Jude ver. 6, layeth it wholly upon themſelves, That they kept not their firſt eſtate, but left their own habitation. The Devils then, though ſo full of wickedneſs, yet are not a reproach to God their Maker, but it was through their own wilfulneſs, they became ſuch Apoſtates.
Hence in the ſecond place, Adam when he firſt tranſgreſſed that command of God, and thereby involved all mankind in darkneſs and miſery, did it from a voluntary free principle within, there was no internal or external neceſſity compelling him to ſinne, for he was made with the image of God in him, and that matter wherein he did tranſgreſs, he might eaſily have attained from God, giving him liberty to eat of all other trees, ſo that it was meerly, and ſolely from Adams own will, that he undid himſelf and all his poſterity. It is true, God if he had pleaſed could have prevented his ſinning, he could have confirmed him in ſuch grace, as we ſee he did the other Angels that fell not, whereby he would certainly have been preſerved from all ſinne, but God is the ſupreme Sovereign, and is not tied up as men are to inferiour Laws. It is true, he is an eternal Law of Righteouſneſs to himſelf, whereby he cannot do any thing, but what is juſt and righteous, yet he hath alſo an abſolute Dominion over all things, and may diſpoſe of his creatures as he pleaſeth; and from this it was that he created man with power to fall, as well as to ſtand, making him mutable and changeable, whereas the glorified Saints in Heaven ſhall be delivered from ſuch mutability, and there ſhall not be in them a poſſe peccare, a power to ſinne, ſo greatly ſhall their ſouls be perfected in Heaven: So that ſtill you ſee, God is freed, and mans deſtruction is of himſelf.
Hence alſo in the third place, when Adam ſinned at firſt, it was not after the ſame manner, as we ſinne; for when we ſinne, this floweth from a corrupted nature within, Jam. 1. 17. Every one is tempted and drawn aſide with the luſt that is within him; But in Adam there was no ſuch vicious principle. It is therefore a falſe and dangerous poſition of the Socinians, That we ſinne in the ſame manner that he did, That we have no more corrupted Nature in us, then he had, but as he had a free-will, by which he choſe either good or evil, ſo it is with us. But this ſpeaketh open defiance againſt the Scripture; For was Adam by nature the child of wrath? Were the imaginations of his thoughts only evil, and that continually? Could Adam ſay, He found a Law of ſinne in his Members, warring againſt the Law of his mind? Adam's ſinne therefore came from the meer mutability and changeableneſs that was in his will, there being no antecedent corruption in him: Inſomuch that it hath greatly exerciſed learned Divines, to ſhew how Adam could ſinne, and wherein the imperfection did firſt break forth, he being made after the Image of God; but in us our ſinfulneſs ariſeth from a neceſſity contracted by the firſt voluntary tranſgreſſion, and ſo have a corrupt nature which inclineth to all corrupt actions. Adam was in ſome ſenſe a good Tree, and yet did bring forth bad Fruit, a ſweet Fountain, and yet did ſend forth bitter Streams; Here we might ſay, a Vine brought ſorth Thorns, and a Fig Thiſtles; but we are bad Trees, poiſoned Fountains, Briars and Thorns, only from the paralleling of our ſelves with Adam, we may conclude our incurableneſs, as alſo the danger we are in, by every temptation; For if Adam; though without any corrupt principle within him, though without the leaſt ſpark of any luſt, was yet ſo eaſily inflamed by a temptation; What may we expect who have the ſeed of all evil within us? If the green Ivy ſhall take fire ſo ſoon, what will the dry Tree do? Oh take heed of coming near any occaſion of ſinne! As our Saviour ſaid, Remember Lots wife, ſo do thou Adams wife, yea and Adam himſelf. Theſe, though created holy, though without any luſtful inclination, yet did preſently yeeld to the temptations of ſinne, What then wilt not thou do? If Samſon with his ſtrength cannot reſiſt the Philiſtims, much leſs, when that is gone, can he withſtand them. But of this difference between Adam and us in ſinning, more in its time.
In the fourth place, God is to be juſtified, though we be born full of ſinne, becauſe we are to diſtinguiſh between nature it ſelf, and the corruption cleaving to it. We ſay, our Nature, our Eſſence and Subſtance, our Souls and Bodies in reſpect of their natural Being are the work of God, and we are with David, to admire the curious workmanſhip of God, in reſpect of our Bodies; The excellent compoſition of all the bodily parts, did convince even Galen, though otherwiſe an Heathen. God therefore as a Creator is to be praiſed and glorified by us; only, as Auſtin of old, we muſt not ſo praiſe Deum Creatorem, as to make Superfluum Servatorem; We muſt not ſo celebrate the name of God, as a Creator, that thereby we ſhould make a Saviour ſuperfluous and unneceſſary, Sub laudibus naturae latent inimici gratiae, under the praiſes of Nature, the enemies of Grace hide themſelves; and ſo under the praiſes of God as a Creator, the enemies of Chriſt, as a Saviour, ſhelter themſelves. Nature then, we ſay, is good, our Subſtance and Being is of God onelyonly, the defilement annexed inſeparably thereunto is of man: Even as in our bodies, the ſubſtance of them is of God, but God did not make death, that diſſolution ariſeth from ſinne. We do not ſay, That ſinne is natural to us conſtitutivè, or conſecutivè, but tranſitivè and inhaeſivè, it doth not conſtitute our Being, neither is it an internal conſequence of it, but it deſcends with our Nature, and is inherent in everyone.
Thoſe only do give God his due glory, and vindicate him againſt all ſinful complaints, who do maintain original ſinne; For it was the ignorance of this made the Heathens utter ſuch impatient complaints againſt Nature, or rather the God of it, becauſe they were not informed of this, they thought, God dealt more unkindly with man, than any other creature. Thus Auſtin taketh notice of Cicero, who greatly complained of Nature, Rem (ſaith he) vidit, cauſam neſcivit, (Lib. 4. contra Julian. cap. 12.) latebat enim cur grave jugum eſſet ſuper filios Adam; and this was, Becauſe (ſaith Auſtin) not being inſtructed out of the Scripture, he was ignorant of original ſinne. So that there is no ſuch remedy againſt thoſe damnable Doctrines of the Marcionites and Manichees, as by acquainting of our ſelves with the Truth in this point, for hereby we are inabled upon juſt and ſolid grounds both to juſtifie God, and condemn our ſelves.
SECT. III.
LAſtly, They that hold Adam was at firſt created with a pronity to ſinne, and that it was natural in him to have the ſenſitive appetite rebel againſt the rational; and therefore original Righteouſneſs was given as a bridle to curb and keep the inferiour faculties in ſubordination to the ſuperiour. Theſe (I ſay) do hold that Doctrine, which makes God to be the Author, if not of ſinne, yet of inclination to it. For, as the Socinians ſay, That death was natural to man in his firſt Creation, only ſinne made it neceſſary, end by way of a curſe. So the Papiſts ſay, That even in Adam at his firſt Creation there would have been a rebellion between his appetite and reaſon, had not there been grace ſuperadded to regulate it; For (ſay they) this is natural, and it abideth in all men ſtill, and is not a ſin. But we ſhall in time (God willing) ſhew the falſhood of this, and prove the inclination of the ſenſitive appetite to any ſuitable object, as it was in Adam, was not irregular, but in us it is in all things exceſſive, we not being able to move regularly, becauſe we have loſt that inward ſtrength we were created in. As you ſee in the Palſie member, that moveth very faſt, not from ſtrength, but from weakneſs, ſo is it with us now in all our motions to any object, but God. There is a paralitical affection, we cannot love or fear, but we do it too much. Now to ſay, it was thus in Adam, would be to diſhonour God, and to make him the Author of that ataxy and confuſion which is now in man.
SECT. IV.
AS for the other two particulars of Gods Injuſtice and Cruelty, ſuppoſed to be in the depriving of us of that original Righteouſneſs, we may ſpeak more hereafter: But for the preſent, this may ſtop the mouth of any caviller, though it be as wide as a Sepulchre.
1. That as God was not neceſſitated to create man, neither did he make man out of need of him, ſo when he had made him, he being ſupreme Lord and Sovereign, might deal with him upon what terms he pleaſed: It pleaſed him therefore to covenant with Adam not as a ſingle perſon, but as a common head and univerſal perſon, as appeareth Rom. 5. by the collation that is made between the firſt Adam, and the ſecond Adam, as two univerſal principles.
Therefore ſecondly, God taking ſuch a way, all the good Adam ſhould have had upon his continuance in obedience, would not have been in himſelf only, but to all his poſterity Then in him, we had all obeyed, By his obedience we had been all made righteous, and by him life would have entred into the world; ſo that it's great Juſtice in God, to tranſmit all the evils of Adams tranſgreſſion, to his poſterity, who would have communicated all the good promiſed to them upon his obedience. And thus we have anſwered that Objection, which is brought againſt the Naturality of it.
SECT. V.
THe other Objections will come in ſeaſonably from other Texts; I ſhall therefore diſmiſs this Verſe and Doctrine, with a vehement intreaty, not to let the meditation of this Truth go out of your hearts, till it hath humbled you in the duſt, till you look upon your ſelves as filthy and abominable, worſe than any Toads or Serpents: What is it a light matter, to have a nature that is all the day long, either in thought, word or deed offending God? Your natural evil is more to be deplored, in ſome ſenſe, than all your actual evil; for as long as this ſpring is, there will alwayes be polluted ſtreams: Many things may humble and debaſe us, as men, but this is the Goliahs Sword, none like this to pierce and cut at the very heart, even that we are naturally evil.