An Antidote Against Heresy, Chapter 5
CHAP. V. Of the fall of man, and of Original ſin.
OUR firſt Parents, Adam and Eve, Truth.were created in a perfect and bleſſed eſtate, both holy and happy, but through their own voluntary diſobedience in eating the forbidden fruit, contrary to Gods command, they fell from the ſame, plunging themſelves, and all their poſterity, into the contrary eſtate of ſin and death; ſo that by, and ever ſince that unhappy fall, the Image of God is defaced in all mankind, every mothers ſon is conceived in ſin, and born a child of wrath.
Some endeavouring to extenuate the ſin of Adam, and make it leſs, ſay, That it was only the intemperance of the Appetite. Pelagius, and his followers, deny Original ſin, affirming, That Adam ſinned only to his own hurt, and nothing at al hurt his poſterity thereby, ſo that no man ſhall ever periſh in hell for Adams ſin: That ſin is derived from the firſt man by imitation or example only, not by generation or natural diſcent: That Infants derive no ſin from their Parents, and therefore need not to be baptized, in their ſteps tread the Anabaptiſts. The Papiſts do not deny Original ſin, but yet extreamly leſſen it, and make nothing almoſt of it; and they ſay, that concupiſcence or ſin remaining after Baptiſm, is not truly ſin, nor ſo called, becauſe it is properly ſin, but becauſe it cometh of, and enclineth unto ſin, or is the matter whereof ſin is more eaſily bred; ſo they have decreed it quite againſt the Scriptures, accurſing all that dare ſay the contrary. Concil. Trid. Seſſ. 5. c. 1.
AntidoteTheſe are the divels ſubtilties, by covering and hiding the diſeaſe to make it incurable; but that Adams ſin was no ſmall offence, being an act of horrid rebellion againſt God, will appear, if we do but open and diſſect the ſame, and ſee how many foul ſins that one contains within it. As, 1. Intolerable pride and ambition, for not content with the Image of God ſtampt upon him; he affected alſo to be equal unto God in Majeſty, Gen. 3.5. Ye ſhall be as Gods. 2. Unthankfulneſs for that variety and plenty of all other creatures freely given for their uſe. 3. Foul Apoſtaſy from God to the devil Gods enemy. 4. Unbelief, the ground of all the reſt in deſpiſing the Promiſe and Commandment of God, giving credit to the devil, who charged God with untruth, malice and envy of their good. v. 4.5. And therefore this ſin is not to be weighed by an apple, or meaſured by the exceſs of natural appetite.
2. Original ſin is ſo called, becauſe it takes beginning from our very beginning, birth and conception, ſo that we are ſinners ſo ſoon as we are or begin to be; according to that confeſſion of holy David, Pſal. 51.7. I was ſhapen in wickednes, and in ſin hath my mother conceived me. This Original or birth-ſin, is propagated over all mankind, and that two ways according to the two parts of it, ſc. the guilt of Adams tranſgreſſion, and the corruption of nature; the firſt is propagated by imputation, Rom. 5.19. By one mans diſobedience many were made ſinners. And v. 18. By the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation. And v. 15. By the offence of one many be dead. For being all in Adams loins, we ſinned in him, even as Levi being in Abrahams loins payed tythes. &c. Heb. 7.9 The ſecond comes by generation, (whereon the firſt by imputation alſo is grounded:) For Adam was the common ſtock & root of al mankind, and could not derive unto us who are the branches any better ſap or quality then he had himſelf; the ſtreams cannot be ſweet if the ſpring be bitter, or pure if that be unclean, Job 14.4. Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? truly no man. This Original corruption conſiſts 1. In a diſability and averſneſs to all that is good. 2. In a proneneſs to all manner of evil, Rom. 7.14. et ſeq. The parts affected with it, are indeed all the parts and powers of body and ſoul: the underſtanding darkned, 1 Cor. 2.14. the conſcience benummed, Epheſ. 4.19. the will enthralled, Rom. 7.23. affections diſordered, James 4.1, 2. all the members of the body made Inſtruments of ſin, Rom. 3.13, 14, 15. & 6.19. And ſo it is ſaid of Adam (though himſelf were created in the Image of God; yet after his fall) that he begat a ſon in his own likeneſs, (i.) corrupt like himſelf, the Image of God being defaced, Gen. 5.3. It is clear then, that there is original ſin, (i.) an haereditary guilt and corruption that comes to us from our parents by natural generation, both by plain teſtimonies of Scripture, and alſo by experience in Infants: For although they have not ſinned after the likeneſs of Adams tranſgreſſion, Rom. 5.14. (i.) actually, yet ſeeing death, which is the puniſhment of ſin, hath paſſed upon infants as well as men; it is evident, that they are born in ſin, for where there is no ſin, there can be no puniſhment due. Rom. 5.12. By one man ſin entered into the world, and death by ſin. Rom. 6.23. The wages of ſin is death. Epheſ. 2.1, 3. We are dead in ſin, and by nature children of wrath. John 3.3, 6. Except a man be born again he cannot ſee the Kingdom of God: For that which is born of the fleſh is fleſh. If we were not corrupted with ſin in the firſt birth, there would not be ſuch neceſſity of a ſecond: a man in his natural birth is nothing but fleſh, and that this natural corruption remains ſtil in the regenerate, and is properly ſin, ſee Rom 7.14. et ſeq. Gal. 5.17.