A Treatise of Original Sin, Part 1 · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII.
That the inward Contagion which we have from Adam's Diſobedience, is truly and properly a Sinne.
THerefore in the fifth place, This ſinne whereby we are infected from Adam's diſobedience, is truly and properly a ſinne, we are truly and inherently made ſinners by Adam. A man is not more properly and really made a ſinner by any actual tranſgreſſions he doth commit, then he is by his original ſinne he is born in: Inſomuch that though an Infant knoweth not what he doth, nor is capable of acts of reaſon, when he is born, yet he is properly and formally a ſinner; and the diſcovery of this will make much for our humiliation, and Chriſts Exaltation.
Now that it is truly and properly a ſin, appeareth by theſe Arguments:
Argum. 1. That the Scipture ſpeaking of it, doth conſtantly call it ſo, and therefore we are not to recede from the proper interpretation, unleſs ſome weighty reaſons compel…us. What a poor and weak thing is it to deny original ſinne, to be imputable to us, or to have the proper eſſence of evil, becauſe with Ariſtotle none are blamed for thoſe things they have by nature, or are not in their own power; For it's plain, Ariſtotle underſtood nothing of this original pollution, and by his Philoſophy, we muſt alſo quit many fundamental points in our Chriſtian ſaith. It is enough that the Scripture ſpeaking of it, and that purpoſely doth call it ſinne, as Pſal. 51. this Chapter of Romans, and Chap. 7. often, It's the Law of ſinne working in us: So that this want of Gods Image, and an inclination to evil, is not to be conſidered, as a meer puniſhment, or as a ſpiritual diſeaſe, and weakneſs upon nature, but no ſinne at all; For it's as truly a ſinne, as an actual ſinne, yea, in ſome reſpects, it is a more grievous and heavy ſinne than actual ſinnes, (as is to be ſhewed;) For the cauſe hath more in it, than the effect. It is from this evil heart that all actual evils do flow.
Argum. 2. It's truly and properly a ſin, Becauſe thereby a man is made obnoxious to death, and eternal condemnation; The wages of ſinne is death, and by nature we are children of wrath; If then for this inherent corruption, we die, we are ſubject to miſeries, to Gods wrath, and the curſe of the Law, then it muſt neceſſarily follow, that this is truly and properly a ſin.
Argum. 3. That which is made oppoſite to Righteouſneſs, that is truly and properly ſinne; For not puniſhment and Righteouſneſſe, but ſinne and Righteouſneſſe are two immediate Contraries. Now it's plain, That this inherent corruption makes us ſinners, ſo that we need to be made righteouſ by Chriſt.
Argum. 4. The Apoſtle diſtinguiſheth Adam's imputed ſinne, and inherent ſinne, as two ſinnes, and ſo they have a two-fold diſtinct guilt, (as is to be ſhewed) though ſome think it hard to ſay ſo. Thus the Apoſtle, By one mans offence, ſinne entred into the world: Therefore Adam's actual ſinne, and that ſinne which entred thereby, are two diſtinct ſinnes, and differ as the cauſe and the effect. By imputed ſinne, we are ſaid to ſinne in him actually, as it were, becauſe his will, was our will, but by inherent ſinne, we are made ſinners by intrinſecal pollution.
Argum. 5. This original inherent ſinne is truly and properly a ſinne, Becauſe it is to be mortified, to be crucified. We are to ſubdue the reign of it in our hearts, which could not be, if it were not properly a ſin.
Argum. 6. It is a true and proper ſinne, Becauſe by this our perſons are made unclean, ſo that naturally we cannot pleaſe God; We are corrupt fountains, we are bad trees, and all this before we commit any actual ſin.
Argum. 7. If Adam had ſtood, that which would have been communicated to his poſterity, would have been truly and properly holineſs. An Infant new born would have been called righteous in a proper ſenſe; Therefore are we now born ſinfull in a true and proper reſpect.
Argum. 8. This is a ſinne properly, Becauſe it is againſt the Law of God. We want that perfection which we ought to have; we are bound not only to actual obedience, but to do this from an holy and unſpotted principle within: Therefore it is truly ſaid, Original ſinne is in ſome ſenſe forbidden in every Commandment, and original Righteouſneſs is commanded in all, but becauſe this is ſo much vexed by Objections, we are to ſpeak more to it in anſwer to them.
We have brought in ſeveral Arguments to prove original ſinne to be a ſinne properly and truly ſo, and this was the rather to be done, becauſe of ſome Papiſts, but eſpecially Socinians and Arminians, with the Pelagians of old, denying it to be ſo. But from Scripture it is clear, that it is as true a ſinne, as actual, and therefore that diviſion of ſinne into original and actual, is of an univocal genus into its ſpecies, both the members of that diviſion partaking in a proper manner of the nature of ſinne. It being therefore the foundation of this point, and all our fabrick, which in times ſhall be raiſed, being bottomed of this, we ſhall ex abundanti, offer two or three Arguments more, to prove that it is a ſinne, not in a large, or a metonymical lenſe, but rigidly and properly: And the firſt in order is,
Argum 9. From the neceſſity of Infants in reſpect of a Saviour; Thoſe Infants that die in their Infancy, and go to heaven, cannot obtain this glorious benefit, but by Chriſt: If therefore Chriſt be a Saviour to ſome Infants then they are loſt and undone in themſelves: But not for any actual ſinnes: Therefore for original. This fully demonſtrates every Infant, though but a day, but an hour old, to be truly a ſinner, Why? Becauſe even they need Chriſt a Saviour; if they had no ſinne, they needed not a Jeſus; And this muſt neceſſarily be confeſſed, That either Infants cannot be ſaved, and are not to be accounted of the people of God, and of his Church; or if they be, that they have ſinne from which they are to be cleanſed and ſaved. The former is rarely aſſerted, and therefore the later muſt be granted: And indeed when the Scripture ſaith, Matth. 1. 21. Chriſt is called Jeſus, Becauſe he ſhall ſave his people from their ſinnes: As alſo Epheſ. 5. 25, 26. Chriſt is ſaid, to give himſelf for his Church, that he may cleanſe it, ſo as to be without ſpot or wrinkle; Either we muſt ſay, Infants are none of Chriſts people, they belong not at all to his Church, or if they do, they have true and proper ſinne in them, which the Scripture cals uncleanneſs; and it is evidently applied to Infants in that ſenſe, Job. 14. 4. Job. 15. 14. who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? And who is is born of a woman, that he ſhould be righteous? Where to be unclean is made directly oppoſite to be righteous. Therefore when the Pelagians of old would evade this Argument, ſaying, Infants needed a Chriſt to bring them to the Kingdom of Heaven, though they had no ſinne. Auſtin well urged, That they divided thoſe two names of our Saviour, Chriſt and Jeſus, making him a Chriſt, where he was not a Jeſus: Certainly to be a Saviour of Infants implieth, in themſelves they are leſt.
Argum. 10. Hence in the next place, The initial Sacrament which God hath appointed alwayes in his Church for Infants doth fully demonſtrate, they have ſinne in a proper formal ſenſe, viz. Sinne to be remitted, and to be aboliſhed. In the Old Teſtament, every Infant eight dayes old was to be circumciſed, and that Sacrament did plainly declare the ſinne and corruption that was in them, though ſo young, for Rom. 4. Circumciſion was a Seal of the Righteouſneſs by Faith, which is a Goſpel-righteouſneſs by Chriſt, whereas if they had no ſinne within, ſuch a Seal would have been ridiculous and abſurd; As for Chriſt, who though he had no ſinne, yet was circumciſed and baptized, that was upon another account, for having voluntarily made himſelf ſubject to the Law, it beloved him to fulfill all the Righteouſneſs thereof, but Infants have not that conſideration; If then Infants needed a righteouſneſs through faith, this plainly demonſtrated they had nothing but ſinne in themſelves. beſides, The cutting of the fore skin in the Sacrament of Circumciſion, did denote the throwing away of that inherent pollution of their Natures, Deut. 10. 16. Therefore Deut. 30. 6. God promiſeth to circumciſe their heart, which was to regenerate them, of which Circumciſion was a ſign. Hence Rom. 2. 28, 29. the Apoſtle diſtinguiſheth of a Circumciſion of the fleſh, and a Circumciſion of the ſpirit; If then Infants needed a Circumciſion of the Spirit; If they needed that the ſinfull fore-skin of their heart ſhould be cut off, of which their external Circumciſion applied to them, was a Seal, it followeth unqueſtionably, that they had an univerſal pollution all over them, before they had committed any actual ſinne. Thus alſo for Baptiſm, an initiating Sacrament in the New Teſtament, that is to be applied to Infants; For though Anabaptiſts do now deny it, yet the Pelagians of old, (though ſo exceedingly preſſed by this Argument, That Infants were baptized for Remiſſion of ſinne, but it could not be actual, therefore it was original, which was in them.) They never dared to deny their Baptiſm, but ranne to other evaſions. I take it for a Truth at this time, becauſe ſo fully proved by thoſe who have writ on this Subject, That Infants are to be baptized; and if ſo, it's alſo plain by Scripture, That Baptiſm in the nature of it, ſignifieth Remiſſion of ſinnes and Regeneration, which priviledges, if Infants want, they muſt neceſſarily have that which is truly and properly a ſin.
Argum. 11. Laſtly, Every Infant new born comes into the world with that, which is truly and formally a ſinne, Becauſe the Scripture makes it the peculiar Character and property of Chriſt, that he was wholly without ſinne. Therefore the Angel in his diſcourſe to Mary cals him the foreign, that holy thing which ſhall be born of thee, Luke 1. 35. And the Apoſtle telleth us, It behoved us to have ſuch an High prieſt, who was tempted like us in all things, ſin only excepted, Heb. 4. 15. Theſe places do clear, that Chriſt only was born without ſinne, and all others are polluted with it: And the reaſon why Chriſt is exempted, is, becauſe he was not of Adam, Quoad ſeminalem rationem, but corpulatam ſubſtantiam, as the Schoolmen ſay, He was not the ſonne of Adam by natural generation, but by a miraculous conception. It is true, The Evangeliſt Luke reckoning up Chriſts Genealogy, aſcends up to Adam, as if he were the ſonne of Adam, but that is becauſe he was the ſuppoſed ſonne of Joſeph his father, he was accounted his legal father, though he was not his natural.
The Arminians think they only have found out the true reaſon, why Chriſt contracted not original ſinne from Adam, nor was not in his loins; For (ſay they) Chriſt was not is Adam, as a common parent, and ſo ſinned not in him, becauſe he did not come of a woman, by that firſt command, Increaſe and multiply, but by a new and ſingular promiſe which God made to Adam after his fall, viz. That the ſeed of the woman ſhall bruiſe the head of the ſerpent. But though it be granted, That Chriſt was born of a woman by a ſingular promiſe, yet that alone without the miraculous operation of the holy Ghoſt, would not have cleanſed the humane Nature of Chriſt from ſinne, eſpecially if that be true, which ſome learned men ſay, That the Virgin Mary did, in ſome meaſure, concurre actively to the body of Chriſt, and therefore Chriſt is called, The fruit of her womb, and is ſaid to be of the ſeed of David, 2 Tim. 2. 8. So that being the Virgin Mary her ſelf was unclean, till the holy Ghoſt over-ſhadowed her, none could bring that which was clean out of her, but God in a miraculous and extraordinary manner ſanctifying that maſs, of which Chriſts body was made. Beſides, we read of Iſaac, that he was born by the virtue of a ſingular promiſe, Sarah's womb being as good as dead, yet for all that he was not free from original ſinne; Therefore the holineſſe of Chriſts humane nature, and that in the very conception muſt be attributed to the wonderfull operation of the holy Ghoſt; If then this was peculiar to Chriſt alone, It followeth neceſſarily, That all thoſe who in a natural manner deſcend from Adam come into the world unclean, and infected with this pollution.
Thus we have laid ſure and firm foundations to maintain this Truth, That original ſinne is truly and formally a ſinne deſerving eternal condemnation, as well as actual ſinne.