A Display of Arminianism, Argument · Chapter 8

A Display of Arminianism · Argument · Chapter 8

p. 85CHAP. VIII.

Of the ſtate of Adam before the fall or of originall Righteouſneſſe.

IN the laſt Chapter we diſcovered the Arminian attempt, of readvancing the corrupted nature of man, into that ſtate of innocency and holineſſe, wherein it was at firſt, by God created: in which deſigne, becauſe they cannot but diſcerne that the ſucceſſe is not anſwerable to their deſires, and not being able to deny, but that for ſo much good as we want, having caſt it away, or evill of ſinne that we are ſubject unto, more then we were at our firſt creation, we muſt be reſponſable for to the juſtice of God; they labour to draw down our firſt parents, even from the inſtant of their forming, into the ſame condition wherein we are ingaged by reaſon of corrupted nature: but truly I feare, they will ſcarſe obtaine ſo proſperous an iſſue of their endeavour, as Mahomet had, when he promiſed the people, he would call a mountaine unto him: which miracle when they aſſembled to behold, but the mountaine would not ſtirre for all his calling, he replyed, if the mountaine will not come to Mahomet, Mahomet will goe to the mountaine, and away he packed towards it, but we ſhall finde that our Arminians, can neither themſelves, climbe the high mountaine of innocency, nor yet call it down, into the valley of ſinne and corruption, wherein they are lodged: we have ſeene already, how vaine and fruſtrate was their former attempt: let us now take a view of their aſpiring inſolence, in making the pure creatures of God, holy and undefiled with any ſinne, to be inveſted with the ſame wretchedneſſe and perverſeneſſe of nature, with our ſelves.

It is not my intention, to enter into any curious diſcourſe, concerning the ſtate and grace of Adam before his fall: but only to give a faithfull aſſent, to what God himſelfe affirmed of all the works of his hands, they were exceeding good: no evill, no deformitie, p. 86or any thing tending thereunto, did immediately iſſue, from that fountaine of goodneſſe and wiſdome, and therefore doubtleſſe man, the moſt excellent worke of his hands, the greateſt glory of his Creator, was then without ſpot or blemiſh, endued with all thoſe perfections, his nature, and ſtate of obedience, was capable of: and carefull we muſt be, of caſting any aſperſions of defect on him, that we will not with equall boldneſſe aſcribe to the image of God?

Nothing doth more manifeſt the deviation of our nature, from its firſt inſtitution, and declare the corruption wherewith we are polluted, then that propenſitie which is in us to every thing that is evill, that inclination of the fleſh, which luſteth alwayes againſt the ſpirit, that luſt and concupiſcence, which fomenteth, conceiveth, hatcheth, bringeth forth, and nouriſheth ſinne: that perpetuall proneneſſe that is in unregenerate nature, to every thing, that is contrary to the pure and holy Law of God: now becauſe neither Scripture nor experience, will ſuffer Chriſtians quite to deny this pravitie of our nature, this averſeneſſe from all good, and propenſitie to ſinne, the Arminians extenuate it, as much as they are able: affirming that it is no great matter; no more then Adam, was ſubject unto, in the ſtate of innocency: but what? did God create in Adam, a proneneſſe unto evill? was that a part of his glorious image, in whoſe likeneſſe he was framed? yea, ſaith Corvinus, aaEx ratione creationis homo habebat affectum ad ea quae vetabantur. Cor ad Mol. cap. 6. ſ. 1.By reaſon of his creation, man had an affection to what was forbidden by the Law, but yet this ſeemes injuſtice, that God ſhould give a man a law to keepe,bbDeus homini repugnantiam indidit adverſus legem. Ioh. Goſt. in Synod. confeſſ. and put upon his nature a repugnancy to that law, as one of them affirmed at the Synod of Dort. No? ſaith the former Author:ccHomo non eſt idoneus cui lex feratur. quando in eo, ad id quod lege vetatur, non eſt propenſio, ac inclinatio naturalis. Cor. ad. Molin. cap. 10. ſect. 15. Man had not been fit, to have had a law given unto him, had he not been endued, with a propenſion, and naturall inclination, to that which is forbidden by the law; but why is this ſo neceſſary in men, rather then Angels? no doubt there was a law, a rule, for their obedience, given unto them at their firſt creation, which ſome tranſgreſſed, when others kept it inviolate: had they alſo a propenſitie to ſinne, concreated with their nature? had they a naturall affection, put upon them by God, to that which was forbidden by the law? let them only who will be wiſe, beyond the word of God, affixe ſuch injuſtice p. 87on the righteous Iudge of all the earth: but ſo it ſeemes it muſt be:ddInclinatio ad peccandum ante lapſum in homine ſuit, licet non ita vehemēs ac inordinata ut nunc eſt. Armin. ad Artic. Reſpon. There was an inclination in man, to ſin before the fall, though not altogether ſo vehement and inordinate as it is now, ſaith Arminius: hitherto we have thought, that the originall righteouſneſſe, wherein Adam was created, had comprehended the integritie and perfection of the whole man: not only that whereby the body was obedient unto the ſoule, and all the affections ſubſervient to the rule of reaſon for the performance of all naturall actions: but alſo a light, uprightneſſe, and holineſſe of grace, in the minde and will, whereby he was enabled to yeeld obedience unto God, for the attaining of that ſupernatural end, whereunto he was created? No? buteeIuſtitia originalis inſtar fraenifuit quod praeſtabat internae concupiſcentiae ordinationem. Cor. ad. Mol. c. 8. … 1. originall righteouſneſſe, ſay our new Doctors, was nothing but a bridle: to helpe keepe mans inordinate concupiſcence within bounds: ſo that the faculties of our ſouls, were never indued with any proper innate holineſſe of their owne:ffIn ſpirituali morte non ſeparantur proprie dona ſpiritualia a voluntate, quia illa nunquam fuerunt ei inſita. Rem. coll. Hag. fol. 250. In the ſpirituall death of ſinne, there are no ſpirituall gifts properly wanting in the will, becauſe they were never there, ſay the ſixe Collocutors at the Hague.

The ſumme is, man was created with a nature, not only weak and imperfect, unable by its native ſtrength, and endowments to attaine that ſupernaturall end, for which he was made, and which he was commanded to ſeeke, but depraved alſo, with a love and deſire of things repugnant to the will of God, by reaſon of an inbred inclination to ſinning. It doth not properly belong to this place, to ſhew, how they extenuate thoſe gifts alſo, with which they cannot deny, but that he was indued, and alſo deny thoſe which he had: as a power to beleeve in Chriſt, or to aſſent unto any truth, that God ſhould reveale unto him: and yet they grant this priviledge, to every one of his poſterity, in that depraved condition of nature, whereinto by ſinne he caſt himſelfe and us: we have all now a power of beleeving in Chriſt, that is, Adam by his fall obtained a ſupernaturall endowment, farre more excellent, then any he had before; and let them not here, pretend the univerſalitie of the new covenant, untill they can prove it, and I am certaine it will be long enough: but this I ſay, belongs not to this place: only let us ſee, how from the word of God, we may overthrow, the former odious hereſie. p. 88God in the beginning created man in his owne image, Gen. 1. 26. that is, upright: Eccleſ. 7. 29. indued with a nature compoſed to obedience, and holineſſe: that habituall grace, and originall righteouſneſſe, wherewith he was inveſted, was in a manner due unto him, for the obtaining of that ſupernaturall end, whereunto he was created: an univerſall rectitude of all the faculties of his ſoule, advanced by ſupernaturall graces, enabling him to the performance of thoſe duties whereunto they were required, is that which we call the innocency of our firſt parents: our nature was then enclined to good only, and adorned with all thoſe qualifications, that were neceſſary, to make it acceptable unto God, and able to doe what was required of us by the law, under the condition of everlaſting happineſſe. Nature, and grace, or originall righteouſneſſe, before the fall, ought not to be ſo diſtinguiſhed, as if the one were a thing prone to evill, reſiſted and quelled by the other: for both complyed in a ſweet union and harmony, to carry us along in the way of obedience, to eternall bleſſedneſſe: no contention betweene the fleſh and the ſpirit, but as all other things at theirs, ſo the whole man joyntly aymed at his own chiefeſt good: having all means of attaining it in his power: that there was then no inclination to ſinne, no concupiſcence of that which is evill, no repugnancy to the Law of God, in the pure nature of man: is proved, becauſe

Firſt, The Scripture deſcribing the condition of our nature, at the firſt creation thereof, intimates no ſuch propenſitie to evill, but rather an holy perfection, quite excluding it: we are created in the image of God, Gen. 1. 27. in ſuch a perfect uprightneſſe, as is oppoſite to all evill inventions, Eccleſ. 7. 29. to which image, when we are againe in ſome meaſure renewed, by the grace of Chriſt, Coloſ. 3. 10. We ſee by the firſt fruits, that it conſiſted in righteouſneſſe and holineſſe; in truth and perfect holineſſe. Epheſ. 4. 24.

Secondly, An inclination to evill, and a luſting after that which is forbidden, is that inordinate concupiſcence, wherewith our nature is now infected, which is every where in the Scripture condemned as a ſinne: Saint Paul in the ſeventh to the Romans, affirming expreſſely that it is a ſinne, and forbidden by the Law: p. 89verſ. 1. producing all manner of evill, and hindering all that is good: a body of death: verſ. 24 and Saint Iames maketh it even the wombe of all iniquitie, Iames 1. 14, 15. ſurely, our nature was not at firſt yoked with ſuch a troubleſome inmate; where is the uprightneſſe and innocency we have hitherto conceived our firſt parents to have enjoyed before the fall? a repugnancy to the law muſt needs be a thing ſinfull: an inclination to evill, to a thing forbidden, is an anomie, a deviation, and diſcrepancy from the pure and holy law of God: we muſt ſpeake no more then of the ſtate of innocency, but only of a ſhort ſpace, wherein no outward actuall ſins, were committed: their proper root, if this be true was concreated with our nature: is this that obedientiall harmony to all the commandements of God, which is neceſſary for a pure and innocent creature, that hath a law preſcribed unto him? by which of the ten precepts, is this inclination to evill required? is it by the laſt, thou ſhalt not covet? or by that ſumme of them all, thou ſhalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, &c. is this all the happineſſe of Paradiſe? to be turmoyled with a nature ſwelling with aboundance of vaine deſires? and with a maine ſtreame carried headlong to all iniquitie, if its violent appetite be not powerfully kept in by the bit and bridle of originall righteouſneſſe? ggVidi ego zelantem parvulum nondum loquebatur, & intuebatur pallidus, amaro aſpectu colluctaneum ſuum: Aug.So it is we ſee with children now, and ſo it ſhould have been with them in Paradiſe, if they were ſubject to this rebellious inclination to ſinne.

Thirdly, and principally, whence had our primitive nature this affections to thoſe things that were forbidden it? this rebellion, & repugnancy to the law, which muſt needs be an anomie, and ſo a thing ſinfull: there was as yet no demerit, to deſerve it as a puniſhment? what fault is it to be created?hhOperatio quae ſimul incipit cum eſſe rei, eſt ei ab agente, à quo habet éſſe, ſicut moveri ſurſum ineſt igni à generate. Alva…. p. 199. The operation of any thing which hath its original, with the being of the thing it ſelf, muſt needs proceed from the ſame cauſe, as doth the eſſence or being it ſelf: as the fires tending upwards, relates to the ſame original, with the fire: and therefore this inclination or affection, can have no other Author but God: by which means he is entitled not only to the firſt ſinne, as the efficient cauſe, but to all the ſins in the world, ariſing from thence: plainly and without any ſtrained conſequencies, he is made the author of ſinne: for even p. 90thoſe poſitive properties, which can have no other fountaine but the authour of Nature, being ſet on evill are directly ſinfull. And here the Idoll of free-will, may triumph in this victory over the God of heaven: heretofore all the blame of ſinne lay upon his ſhoulders, but now he begins to complaine, foreign: it is God and the fate of our creation, that hath placed us in this condition of naturally affecting that which is evill: backe with all your charges, againſt the ill government of this new Deitie, within his imaginary dominion: what hurt doth he doe, but incline men unto evill: and God himſelfe did no leſſe, at the firſt? but let them that will, rejoyce in theſe blaſphemies, it ſufficeth us to know, that God created man upright, though he hath ſought out many inventions: ſo that in this following diſſonancy, we cleave to the better part.