A Treatise of Original Sin, Part 2 · Chapter 10
is taken away, both meritoriouſly and efficiently, meritoriouſly our Apoſtaſie deſerved, that God of a Father and a friend, ſhould become a Judge and an Adverſary to us; it deſerved that we ſhould be children of wrath by nauture, who were children of love by Creation; What tongue of men and Angels can expreſs the dreadfulneſs of this condition, viz. of coming into the world under Gods wrath and vengeance? God is not to us, what he was in the ſtate of integrity, not that any change is in God, but in us. Again, This friendſhip and love of God is expelled efficiently, for fallen man hath no ſuitableneſs and fitneſs, no proportion or ability to have communion with God. Darkneſs cannot delight in light, neither bitterneſs in ſweetneſs: The ſwine cannot love pearl and precious flowers; man corrupt cannot love or delight in the enjoyment of God; ſo that the guilt of ſinne did preſently make Adam afraid of God, ſo as to runne from him.
SECT. IV.
4. THis privation of Gods Image is more than like the ſpoiling of a man of his cloaths, or like the taking of a bridle from the horſes mouth, or removing the bonds and chains a man might be in, Which when taken off, he can walk well enough. For the Popiſh party, though they grant, Man fallen hath much hurt by Adam, yet they make the privation of original righteouſneſſe, to be no more than the ſpoiling of a man of his garments; ſo that as a man without his cloaths, is a man ſtill, though naked, and expoſed to many difficulties. Thus, they ſay, man ſtill hath his naturals, though he hath loſt his ſupernaturals; Original righteouſneſs was like an antidote, or a bridle againſt the inferiour parts of the ſoul (they ſay) ſo that what man is deprived of, is only what was ſupernatural and meerly ſuperadded to humane nature. By theſe ſubtilties of theirs, a mans loſſe is made to be far leſſe than indeed it is: Hence they do ſo often apply that Parable of the man going to Jericho that was wounded, and left half dead, to Adam fallen, to all mankind in him, as if we were but dangerouſly wounded, and not throughly dead: But the ſcope of that Parable is wholly to a different purpoſe; Original righteouſneſs is not to be conceived, as a ſupernatural excellency beſtowed upon man after his Creation, but as a concreated perfection in all the parts of his ſoul: So that the loſing of this, is not like the loſing of ſome accidental glory and ornaments, but even thoſe concreated perfections in the ſoul are alſo loſt. The miſunderſtanding of this breedeth a dangerous errour, as if by original ſinne we onelyonly had loſt theſe ſuperadded ornaments, but did retain our pure naturals ſtill, as they call it, which are indeed altogether impute, Eccl. 7. God made man right; Even as all other creatures were exceeding good: Now God had made man the more noble creature, worſe than other creatures, if he had not created him with ſuch perfect and ſuitable qualifications, as would inable him to obtain true bleſſedneſs, for every creature elſe had an implanted ability in it, to accompliſh his end, and why then ſhould God do leſſe bountifully with man, one of the chiefeſt inſtances of his glorious workmanſhip? But of this I muſt neceſſarily ſpeak more, becauſe of the Socinian, who cals this Doctrine of original righteouſneſs, Faetida fabula, an old ſtinking fable.
SECT. V.
5. ORiginal ſinne is a privation, not only of that righteouſneſs which was a natural perfection due to him upon ſuppoſition of his Creation for the enjoyment of God, but alſo of whatſoever ſupernatural and gracious favour Adam had. We do not ſay, That Adam had nothing ſupernatural in him, for aſſiſting and co-operating … ſupernatural, as alſo that prophetical light he had concerning … God did ſuperadde many glorious ornaments which were … and which he did not abſolutely need as means to make him …, and ſuch likewiſe were thoſe conſequents of holineſſe mentioned before, … to be the Sonne of God, and to be the Temple of the holy Ghoſt; Now all theſe gratuita are loſt as well as the naturalia, we are no more the children of God, or the Temple of God, but our ſouls are poſſeſt with Satan, and he ruleth in our hearts, as in his proper poſſeſſion▪ Some Divines call original righteouſneſſe the abſolute Image of God, and our ſonſhip, and filial relation to God, for Adam is called the Sonne of God, Luke 3. ult. the relative Image; now whether abſolute or relative Image, all is loſt; and therefore that aſſiſting grace, which was then ready at hand for Adam to enjoy, that thereby he might b…nabled to do any good action, we are naturally without: Oh then the … and undone eſtate we are in, being without inberent grace dwelling in us, and aſſiſting grace from God without us, without eyes, and the light of the Sun alſo! Who can think that God at firſt made us ſuch ſinfull, mortal and wretched creatures? It would be much againſt the wiſdom and goodneſs of God, he would then have done worſe with man, than with any flie or worm.
SECT. VI.
What are the moſt excellent and choice parts of that Original Righteouſneſs that we are deprived of.
BUt becauſe the greateſt part of the privative way of original corruption, is in loſing that Image of God, and concreated holineſſe, and we have onelyonly ſpokan in the general of that, that we may be the more affected with it, and the loſſe thereof may pierce to our very hearts; Let us conſider, what are the moſt excellent and choice parts of this original righteouſneſſe that we are deprived of, that ſo we may not only ſee our loſſe in the bulk, but be able to account of every particular in this, and that we have loſt.
And the firſt particular to be inſiſted on, is that great dignity God put on man, making him with a Free will to do what is holy. Free-will is a great perfection, though the mutability in it, as in Adam was a negative Imperfection, this was admirable in Adam, that he had power, if he willed to doe any holy action whatſoever: There was not in him any clog, any impediment to ſtop the exerciſe of this Free will; but as he had dominion over all creatures, ſo alſo over hi… whole ſoul; and indeed if God had not created him with this dominion over his actions, his obedience had not been ſo eminent, nor his diſobedience ſo culpable▪ But this flower is withered, this Crown is fallen to the ground; Man hath now no free will, no power to do any thing that is holy; He hath power to eat and drink, he hath power to do civil & moral actions, he hath power to do actions externally religious, to come to the Congregation, to hear; but for thoſe things that are internally holy, to love God, to believe on him, to repent of ſin; This the Scripture doth in many places deny to him, making him to be dead in ſinne, and untill born again by the Spirit, unable to do any holy duty. This Raymundus (Theol. Natur. de lapſu hominis) doth well urge, That the ſoul as to ſpiritual actions, and in reference to God, is wholly dead; ſo that as a dead man is not able to produce any vital actions, ſo neither can any natural man ſpiritual actions; and becauſe man being dead is not ſenſible of this loſſe, therefore doth the ſame man compare him to a mad man, that knoweth not how it is with him; yea he much purſueth that ſimilitude of wine degenerated into vinegar, ſaying, That as vinegar retaineth nothing of the ſweetneſſe or goodneſſe it had when it was wine: Thus neither doth man retain any thing of that light in his mind, or love in his heart, which once he had: Man (ſaith he) is not become of good wine bad, which though bad, retaineth ſome taſte, and hath a little reliſh of the nature of wine; but he is as when Wine is degenerated into vinegar, which hath all clean contrary to what is had when once wine. This compariſon he the rather urgeth, Becauſe (ſaith he) man doth not, or cannot diſcern in himſelf the difference between his created condition, and his fallen, therefore he muſt ſee how it is with him in ſimilitude by other things. We may adde to this ſimilitude another of the body of man while living, and an inſtrument of the ſoul, with it ſelf when dead, and ſeparated from it, that body then though formerly never ſo beautifull and comely, never ſo lively and active, now is loathſome, and hath the clean contrary qualities; Such a thing is man now fallen, if compared with his Creation.
SECT. VII.
A Second inſtance of a particular in this Image of God, which we have loſt, is Faith and dependance upon God as a Father. As God made Adam his ſon in holineſſe, ſo Adam had a filial dependance and belief on him, reſting alone in Gods protection and preſervation, and thereby was not ſubject to any fears, grief, or troubleſom dejections of mind about his ſoul or body; This was an excellent pearl in that Crown of glory, which God ſet on mans head, but how totally is this loſt? Every man by this original ſinne may juſtly go up and down trembling like a Cain, fearing that every thing ſhould not only kill him, but damn him; Yea, whence is it that the Sea is not fuller of monſters, than thy heart is of unbelieving, doubting and diffident thoughts about God? Why art thou ſo fearfull, ſuſpicious and deſpairing about God naturally? Is not this becauſe God and thy ſoul are ſeparated? Doth not thy conſcience ſecretly ſuggeſt to thee, that God is offended with thee? Is not this a plain diſcovery of thy loſſe of God and his Image, that thou haſt naturally fears and doubts within thy ſelf? Thou thinkeſt of God and art troubled, as Adam when he heard Gods voice, ran and hid himſelf; All the natural tremblings and trepidations of conſcience about God, ariſe from this, becauſe there is a ſecret perſwaſion thou and God art at a diſtance, yea a contrariety one with another.
SECT. VIII.
A Third particular is, The loſſe of that love to God above all things which was implanted in Adam's heart. The moral Law being cograven in Adam, he loved God with all his ſoul and might, and that above all creatures, yea above himſelf; for ſeeing the debt and obligation upon Adam was to prefer God above all creatures; yea Gods will, and Gods glory above his own will and glory; it ſtood not with that integrity God made him in, to be defective in any of theſe; but through Adam's apoſtaſie now all is changed upſide down; Self-love is that which predominateth in every man a mans own will, own good, own pleaſure and honour, is the chiefeſt end aimed at; ſo that now Gods will and honour is trampled under foot, and all to ſet up our own ſelves, inſomuch that this ſelflove may almoſt be called the original ſin in a man.
SECT. IX.
FOurthly, Another particular which is loſt is, That joy and delight which Adam had in God, for as he loved God above all things, ſo enjoying of him, he did infinitely delight and rejoyce in him. Though God made the creatures for Adam's delight; Paradiſe was a place of delight, yet theſe were but drops, God was the Ocean; Adam did then perfectly ſay, which David did with ſome imperfection, Whom have I in Heaven but thee? And whom in earth in compariſon of thee? God was all things unto him. But where is this divine delight? Doth any natural man find any ſweetneſs in holy things? Is not all our joy, a carnal, a worldly, a creature joy? Certainly our joy and delights do as much diſcover the loſſe of Gods Images as any thing elſe; whereas Adam would have daily rejoyced in God, and in the honour and glory of God, that he was magnified and exalted, we naturally are not affected with theſe things.