A Treatise of Original Sin, Part 2 · Chapter 19
CHAP. XIX.
The Definition of Original Sinne.
SECT. I.
FRom the Commandment in this Text, we have heard forbidden actual luſt conſented unto, actual luſt, though not yeelded unto, and original luſt the mother of all, all which Auſtin thought was prayed againſt in three Petitions in the Lords Prayer, Luſt conſented unto, when we pray for the forgiveneſſe of ſinnes committed; Luſts tempting and enſnaring, but not owned by us, when we pray not to be lead in temptation, and laſtly, when we ſay, But deliver us from evil, that is aufer concupiſcentiam ne ſit, take away the very root, and fountain of all evil in us, (Ad Marcell…num, lib. 20) Ignoſce nobis ea in quibus ſumus abſtracti à concupiſcentiâ, adjuvane abſtrahamur à concupiſcentiâ aufer à nobis concupiſcentiam.
So that in this command we have ſeen the poſitive nature of original ſinne in being called concupiſcence, we ſhall therefore from the former Diſcourſe treating of original ſinne in the privative nature of it, and this later of the poſitive, enquire into the definition of it, what it is, for it's not enough to know that it is, and that there are ſuch ſad and bitter effects of it, but alſo to be aſſured what it is. As it is not enough for a man to be perſwaded, that he is diſeaſed, but he muſt ſearch into the nature of it, what it is, if ſo be he would be cured. Before Auſtin's time, there was not a publick known definition of it: The Ancients before him thinking it enough to believe there was ſuch a thing, and that we do daily feel the horrible effects thereof. Pighius in his Diſcourſe of original ſinne, ſaith, That even to his time the Church had not peremptorily defined what it was, and therefore all are left to their liberty to believe what it is: So that they grant there is ſuch a thing, but as if Ignoti nulla cupido, ſo nullum odium, of an unknown thing there is no love, and alſo no hatred: So that if we do not know how loathſom and vile this ſinne is, we are never able to bewail it, and to humble our ſelves under it.
There are many Deſcriptions of it given by ſeveral Authors, but that we may in a large and popular way comprehend all things in one Deſcription, that is neceſſary to underſtand the full nature of it; we may take this delineation of it.
SECT. II.
ORiginal ſinne is an horrid depravation and defilement of the whole man, cauſed by the Devils temptation, and our firſt Parents obedience thereunto, and from them deſcending by propagation to all his Poſterity, being ſtript of Gods glorious Image, whereby they are prone to all evil, and ſo are under the bondage of the Devil, and obnoxious to eternal wrath. It is not my purpoſe in making this draught of it, to attend unto the exact rules of Logick, but ſo to compoſe it, that every thing conſiderable to give the true knowledge of it, may be comprized therein. And
Firſt, We ſay, It's a depravation and defilement, which implieth the ſinfulneſs of it, that it is truly and properly a ſinne; And therefore ſinne is truly and univocally divided into original and actual; ſo that they who make it onelyonly to be guilt without any inward contagion, they do wholly erre from the Scripture, they ſay not enough. It is true, Adam's ſinne in the guilt of it is imputed unto us, which made Ambroſe of old ſay, as Auſtin alledgeth him againſt the …elagians, Morinus ſum in Adamo, ejectus ſum in Paradiſo in Adamo &c. I am dead in Adam, I am caſt out of Paradiſe in Adam: But we are not diſputing of original imputed ſinne, but original inhering; Therefore original inherent ſinne is truly and properly a defilement upon us againſt the Law of God, and this ſinfull eſtate of all by nature, ſhould be farre more terrible unto us, then our miſerable and mortal eſtate. Again, When we call it a defilement, we oppoſe their opinion, who make it only morbus, and not truly a ſinne; As alſo thoſe who ſay, It is the ſubſtance of a man, for if ſo, then Chriſt could not have taken our nature without ſinne, neither could there be glorified bodies in Heaven without ſinne, for all theſe have the humane nature of a man. Further we ſay, It's an horrid depravation: This Epithete is neceſſary to be added to awaken phariſaical and ſelf-righteous perſons, it being ſo dreadfull an evil, that we are never able to go to the depth of it: Never therefore think of ſpeak of original ſinne, but let thy heart tremble, and let horrour and amazement take hold of thee, becauſe of it; and this is put in the Deſcription to obviate thoſe opinions that make it the leaſt of all ſinnes. Some complain, That we are too ſevere and tragical in the aggravation of it; but enough hath been already ſpoken out of Scripture, to ſhew, that neither heart can conceive, or tongue expreſs the foulneſs of it. This is the general part of the Deſcription.
Secondly, You have the Subject of it, and becauſe the Subject thereof is twofold, of Inheſion, and of Predication. In this part, we have the Subject wherein it is, and that is totus homo, and totum hominis, the whole man, and the whole of man, there being no part free from this contagion; ſo that it's repletively and diffuſively in all the parts of ſoul and body, though eminently and principally in the mind and will, and the whole heart. It's true, ſinne is not properly ſeated in the body, the eyes or hand, or in the ſenſitive part, yet participatively and ſubordinately, as they are inſtruments to the ſoul in its actings, ſo they are ſaid to be ſinfull: Thus there are luſtfull eyes, curſing tongues, unclean bodies; There are ſinfull imaginations and fancies, becauſe theſe are the organs by which the ſoul putteth forth its wickedneſs: So that the body is like a broken, ſpoiled inſtrument of muſick, and the ſoul, like an unskilfull Artificer playing on it, which cauſeth horrid and harſh ſounds for pleaſant melody. But as God is every where, yet in Heaven after a more glorious and ſignal manifeſtation of himſelf: So on the contrary, though original ſinne be a Leproſie infecting the whole man, yet it's moſt principally in the intellectual and immaterial parts of the ſoul. It's horrible darkneſſe in the mind, averſneſſe in the will to all that is good, and contumacy in the heart to whatſoever is holy; And this part doth directly oppoſe all thoſe who grant indeed original ſinne, but yet grant it wholly in the inferiour and ſenſitive part, as if our reaſon and mind were like the Heavens of a quinteſſential frame in reſpect of any unholy contagion, whereas indeed becauſe theſe eyes of the ſoul are dark, therefore is the whole body dark: Becauſe the Sunne, and Moon, and Starres, as it were, of this little world of man, are turned into bloud, therefore every part elſe is alſo become blood, defiled and loathſom; and this is the reaſon, why ſo few do either believe, or know this natural corruption, becauſe it benummeth us, yea it taketh away all ſpiritual life, ſo that we cannot diſcern of it. The declaration of the cauſe of it, followeth in this deſcription, where we have the external efficient cauſe, and the internal; The external was the Devil; after his all and apoſtaſie, he endeavoured, being a murderer from the beginning, to deſtroy man alſo, and accordingly he did prevail, and thus by the Devil ſinne came into the world; yet he is the external cauſe onelyonly, he could not force or compel our firſt parents to ſinne, he did onelyonly perſwade and entice them; Therefore the internal cauſe was the freedom of their will, God created them in, whereby they might either imbrace good, or chuſe evil, which mutability was the cauſe of their apoſtaſie. It is true, the diſpute is very curious, How Adam being created perfect could yeeld to ſinne? Whether did the defect ariſe in his will or underſtanding firſt? But ſeeing it's clear by Scripture, that he did ſinne, and we feel the wofull effect of it: Let us not buſie our heads in metaphyſical curioſities, although I ſee the ſoundeſt Authors make the beginning of his ſinne to be in inadvertency, for his ſoul being finite, while he earneſtly intended to one thing, he did not attend to another, and ſo ſinne was inchoatively firſt in his underſtanding, not by errour or ignorance, for Adam's underſtanding was free from that, but by not attendency to all conſiderations and arguments, as he ought to do. Although it muſt be confeſt, that the root and foundation of his ſin, was the vertibility of his will, for as he might not ſin, ſo alſo he might ſin, he had then a poſſe peccare in him, and ſo a defectibility from the Rule. Thus although efficient cauſes uſe not to be put into exact definitions, neither hath ſin ſo properly efficient, as deficient cauſes, yet in large deſcriptions, it is very uſefull to name them, for hereby God is wholly cleared, although he created man, and fore-knew he would fall, yea permitted him to fall, yet he was no cauſe of his fall; neither did God make Adam, that he might ſinne, as ſome would calumniate the Orthodox Doctrine with ſuch conſequences: Even as Auſtin's adverſaries ſaid, he did Sub nomine gratiae aſſerere fatum, becauſe we do not make God an idle Spectator, as it were, of Adam's fall, or make it wholly uncertain and caſual, as it were, to God, but acknowledge his permiſſion and ordination of Adam's evil to a better good than his evil, could be evil, therefore it is that ſome do ſo paratragediate. Take we heed then, that in the acknowledging of this Doctrine, we have no froward or fooliſh though …s riſing againſt God; Adam's deſtruction, and of all his poſterity, was of and through himſelf.
The next thing conſiderable in the Deſcription, is the propagating and communicating of it to all his poſterity that naturally deſcend from our firſt Parents. This alſo is very material to open the nature of this ſinne, that it's by propagation Adam's ſinne was not perſonal, as ours are, but common to the whole nature; Therefore the Apoſtle Rom. 5. putteth it upon one ſinne, or offence, and that by one man. The Pelagians were vehement oppoſers of this, and therefore called the Orthodox Traduciani, becauſe they hold the traduction of this original ſinne, Adam being a common perſon, and he as our Head being in Covenant with God, when he became a Covenant-breaker, then we all forfeited all in and by him; So that it's the Covenant of God that is the foundation of communicating original ſinne, as farre as ſinne can be communicated to all mankind, yet natural generation is the medium, or way of conveying it; But of this more in it's time.
It followeth in the Deſcription, That this original ſinne, as it is by propagation, ſo to all and every one of mankind, who were in his loins, for Chriſt was not properly in Adam's loins, and ſo his ſinne could not be imputed to Chriſt becauſe Adam was not in Covenant for him, otherwiſe not the Virgin Mary or any other is exempted from this univerſal pollution. So that here we have the Subjectum praedicationis, as formerly inhaeſonis, that ſubject of whom this ſinne may be predicated, and that is every Infant new born, as ſoon as he hath a being, ſo ſoon doth he become thus all over ſtained and abominable; and this ſhould make Parents have ſad and ſerious thoughts about their children, there is that corruption planted in their ſouls, which no inſtruction, no diſcipline can eradicate, nay the grace of God ſanctifying doth not wholly expel in this life; Although the grace of God in ſome Obed-Edoms and Timothies appear in them from the youth, yet theſe were by nature dead in ſinne, and children of wrath, onelyonly Gods grace was very wonderfully conveyed unto them in their youth or infancy. Do not therefore think, that becauſe thou haſt a more ingenuous, civil and moral nature, that therefore original ſinne is not in thee, yea many times the actings, and workings of it are more mortiferous and peſtilential than in groſſe ſinners. But let us proceed to the parts, as it were eſſential and intrinſecally conſtituent of this depravation, and that is ſaid to be the loſſe of Gods glorious Image, and thereby a proneneſs to all evil; we need not ſay more to explicate theſe particulars: As in hell there is a privative part, the loſſe of the enjoying of God, and then a poſitive puniſhment through the torments of hell fire. Thus in original ſinne we are without the Image of God. There is not that light or holineſs he created us in, and withall an impetuous inclination to whatſoever is evil; So that now all the powers of the ſoul they move inordinately, and with great precipitancy, as Seneca ſaith of old men, becauſe of their feebleneſs, Dum ambulare volunt, currunt, they do not walk but runne; Thus our affections, our will, they do not ſo much go, as tumble headlong to their objects. Hence Tanrellus (Tryumphus Philoſ. pag. 18.) maketh original ſinne to be nothing but impotentia naturam cohibendi, that we cannot ſtop nature in the impetuous motions thereof to ſinne, no more than we can the violent torrents and ſtreams of water in exceſſive floods. In theſe two things then lieth the whole venom and poiſon of this natural filthineſs, we are without all good, and under the dominion of all evil, and this is to ſpeak all the miſery that poſſibly a man can be capable of.
In the laſt part we adde in the deſcription a two-fold effect of this natural defilement, which although they are to be treated of in a more large manner, with all the particular effects of this ſinne, or ſome of them at leaſt, yet in the general ſomething is to be ſaid, that we may affect our ſouls with them. And
Firſt, Hereby we are made obnoxious to the curſe and wrath of God: Even before any actual ſin is ever committed, for this Infants dying immediately upon their birth, may juſtly be damned to all eternity; This is that which carnal reaſon ſtrometh at; This is that which the nature of man will hardly yeeld to; Therefore the poſition of many have been, That there is nothing damnable in Infants; And although ſome would not admit them into the Kingdom of Heaven, yet freed them from the place of the damned, but we muſt ſubmit our humane reaſon, and our humane affections to the Scripture, if ſo be that Gods word ſaith, We are by nature children of wrath; If Jeſus Chriſt be a Saviour to Infants as well as to men; if he came to redeem them as well as actual ſinners, then of themſelves their condition was damnable, for Chriſt came to ſeek that which was loſt, and the whole need not the Phyſitian, but the ſick: Oh then let us all humble our ſelves under this ſentence of condemnation paſſed upon us. God might ſay of every Infant, In the day thou art born, thou ſhalt be damned, and it is the meer gracious favour of God, that deferreth the execution of this ſentence, for till a man be in Chriſt, he is not freed from this curſe, only God in much patience doth put off the execution.
The ſecond effect is, To be under the power and dominion of the Devil, Eph. 2. The Devil is ſaid to rule in the hearts of men, and is therefore called, The Prince of this world regeneration is not only ſubduing of corruption in us, not only repairing the glorious Image of God which we have loſt, but alſo a diſpoſſeſſing of the devil, who had a throne in every mans ſoul. By nature therefore becauſe thus polluted, we are vaſſals and bondſlaves to Satan, we are of him, we do his works; The bodily poſſeſſed by Satan were not more miſerably agitated by him, then our ſouls are ſpiritually by him; what he tempts us to, we obey; what he ſuggeſts to us, we entertain: Inſomuch that every man by nature may ſay, he no longer liveth, but ſinne in him, and the Devil in him; Hereby thy heart may be called hell, yea and Legion, becauſe many Devils do rule in thee: Oh that God would make this Truth like a two-edged ſword in our hearts, that we may not reſt day or night, till God hath delivered us from this wretched eſtate! Pray for it, groan for it, all the day long.