A treatise of original sin ... proving that it is, by pregnant texts of Scripture vindicated from false glosses / by Anthony Burgess.

SECT. VII.

Demonstrations of the Pollution of the Memory.

THat the memory is thus polluted will appear,

1. By several discoveries thereof. And

2. By the particulars wherein.

In the former way, herein we have a full demonstration of the depraved nature [ I] of our memory, In that we need the Spirit of God to sanctifie and help it; So that one work or office of the Spirit of God is to be a remembrancer unto us about holy things; It's the gift of Gods Spirit to give thee a good memory, to make thee able to remember holy things: This is clearly and unquestionably af∣firmed, John 14. 26. The comforter which is the holy Ghost, I will send in my name, and he will teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Here we see the Spirit of God hath a twofold office or work to do:

1. To teach us holy things: We are blind and unbelieving, not knowing spi∣ritual objects, till Gods Spirit doth teach us; But this is not all, suppose we be taught and instructed, is all done then? Do we need the Spirit of God no more? Yea. Therefore

2. The Spirit of God putteth it self forth in a further work, which is to bring the things thus taught to our remembrance. As then the mind in respect of understanding and knowing cannot do any thing about what is spiritual without the Spirit of God, so neither can the mind about remembring: Certainly if the memory of it self could do these things, the Spirit of God would be in vain: If the Moon and Starres could give so much light as to make a day, the Sun would be in vain: Hence the children of God do evidently find and feel the work of Gods Spirit upon their memories, as well as their understandings, for in their temptations, how ready to be overwhelmed? how ready to be swallowed up with such thoughts? and then the Spirit of God doth seasonably re-mind the soul of such Promises, of such comfortable Arguments; So also upon the temptation to any sinne, the Spirit of God doth interpose and prevent it by making them to remember such a threatning, such a place of Scripture, and this stoppeth them from the evil they were ready to do, for they are the Disciples themselves, though sanctified and made so eminent to whom this Spirit of remembrancing is promi∣sed as usefull and necessary; If then the Spirits presence and assistance be thus ne∣cessary even to a regenerate mans memory, this argueth the natural defilement and impotency of it to any good thing, for where nature is able, there the Spirit of God is not necessarily required.

A second Discovery of the pollution of the memory may be from the end [ II] of the Scripture, why God would have it written, so as to be a perpetual mo∣nument to his Church. Among other ends this is one, to be a memorial to us, to put us in continual mind of the duties required of us: Thus the Apostle Peter indeavoureth to make believers alwaies remembring of the Gospel by those Epi∣stles he did write to them. It is true, the Orthodox do justly refuse that of Bel∣larmine, who will make the Scripture to be onely utile communitorium, as if that were the chief end, why the Scriptures were written, viz. to serve for our me∣mory only, and not to be a rule of our faith, for he himself doth acknowledge it to be a partial rule: But the principal and chief end, why the Scriptures are delivered to the Church is to be a Canon and Rule to it, so that the Church must not believe, worship or live, otherwise then the Scripture commands: This is not a partial but a total Rule, neither may any thing be added to it, or detracted

from it. But yet we grant also, That the Scripture may have other secondary and subservient ends, whereof this is not the meanest, to be usefull to our memory; And certainly, one great cause of so much evil committed by thee, is forgetful∣nesse of the Scripture; The Apostle James, Chap. 1. 25. doth notably instance to this purpose, for he compareth a forgetfull hearer of the Word, to one that looketh in the glasse, and going away straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was; If therefore we did abide and continue looking in this glasse, take notice what we are by the direction of the Word, how quickly would we reform? He that doth make a practical use of remembring the Scripture, so as to regulate and order his life accordingly can never miscarry. To have the word of God in thy memory against such and such a temptation, would prevent all the evil thou fallest into, John 15. 20. when our Saviour would encourage his Disciples against the hatred of the world, he saith, Remember the Word that I said unto you, the servant is not greater then his master; Remember this truth, and that will make thee suffer more willingly: So John 16 4. These things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them; To re∣member Scripture in the season, to have the Word of God in thy mind, when a temptation like Joseph's Mistress is soliciting of thee, this will cause, that no deadly thing shall hurt thee; for the word of God is a two edged sword. it's an hammer, it's fire, it's the sword of the Spirit, by it both the Devil, and all tem∣ptations are subdued, Christ overcame the Devil by Scripture. Now if that be not in thy memory, then it cannot be any waies serviceable to thee in the time of need. Exercise your memories therefore in the Scripture, and that not for me∣mories sake, much lesse for ostentation, to shew what a good memory you have above others, but for a practical and holy use; Treasure up such a place against thy drunkennesse, thy whoredoms; Treasure up such a place against pride, earthlinesse and covetous desires; What a precious and excellent memory is that which is like a mine of gold, or an Apothecaries shop, that can from the Scri∣pture presently fetch what Antidotes against sinne, or cordials to revive that he pleaseth? And truly our memory should be filled up only with Scripture conside∣rations. This is the cabinet and choice closet of thy soul; If a man should take his cabinet that was for jewels and precious stones, and fill it only with mud and dirt, would it not be exceeding great folly? No lesse is it, when thy memory is full of stories and merry tales, and in the mean while rememberest not what God saith in his Word, which would be so usefull to thee for thy souls good, acknow∣ledge then the goodnesse of God to thee in providing the Scriptures as an help to thy memory, and withall know that seeing the Spirit thought it necessa∣ry to commit them to writing, hereby is fully declared the pollution and sinfulnesse of thy memory; For in Heaven, when the memory will be fully sanctified and perfected, then there will be no more use of the Bible, we shall not then need to read the Scriptures to quicken up our minds, for all imperfection will then be done away.

[ III] Thirdly, The sinfulnesse and weaknesse of the memory is manifested not only by the end of the Scriptures in general, but also several parts of the word of God are peculiarly so ordered, that they might be the more easily conserved in our memory. Thus when any great deliverances were vouchsafed to the Church, those mercies were made into Psalms and Songs, that for the meters sake, and the pleasantness of the matter, all might have them in remembrance: This method did signifie how dull and stupid our memories are, and how apt to forget the benefits and mercies of God, and therefore our memories are to be helped therein: Thus the 119^th Psalm, is put into an alphabetical order, thereby to further our memory about it, yea there are two Psalms, Psal. 8. 1. and Psal. 70. 1. which have this Title, To bring to remembrance; And the matter of those two Psalms con∣taineth a complaint under afflictions and earnest importunity with God for deli∣verance.

The Spirit of God by instruments made them to be composed for this end, that afflicted and troubled soules should have them in remembrance; and indeed we may say of every Chapter, as well as of those Psalmes, A Chapter to bring to remembrance; yea, of many Verses, A Verse to bring to remembrance; And because the memory is so slow and dull about holy things, you may read of a peculiar command to the Jews in this case; and although the same obligation doth not belong to us, yet it teacheth us all, what for∣getfullness and oblivion is ready to seize upon us about holy things, Numb. 15. 39, 40. God doth there command Moses, to speak to the children of Israel, that they make fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations. It was a perpetual Ordinance; And why must this be done, To remember all the Commandments of God: This was Gods special command? The Church under the Gospel may not in imitation hereof prescribe Ce∣remonies, or appoint Images to stirre up the dull memory of man. The Popish-Church commendeth their Crucifixes and their Images upon this account, because so helpfull to the memory, being the Lay-mens Books; But (though the memory be greatly polluted, yet) it belongs not to man, but to God as part of his regality, to appoint what he pleaseth, to stirre up and excite the memory in holy things; God hath appointed other things, the Word, and Ministery, and Sacraments for our memory (as is to be shewed,) and therefore this is a devotion which God will reject, because not having his super∣scription upon it.

Fourthly, That the memory of man is naturally polluted is plain, By the [ IV] Ministry appointed in the Church of God by Christ himself, for one end of that is, to bring us to remembrance. Thus you heard the Apostle Peter speaking, he thought it meet 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, just and righteous while he was in the flesh, to put them alwayes in remembrance of these things: so Jude also: Thus Paul injoyneth Timothy, 2 Tim. 2. 14. Of these things put them in remembrance: so 1 Tim. 4. 6. If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good Mi∣nister of Jesus Christ. He is not a good or faithfull Minister of Christ, tha is not diligent to put you in mind of Scripture-things: The Ministery is not only to instruct the ignorant, to convert the prophane, but also to put int mind those that do know, and are converted. They are like Peter's Cock, upon his crowing, Peter was brought to remembrance, and he went out, and wept bitterly. Every Sermon we preach should bring thy sinnes and thy duties to remembrance. The Spirit of God (you heard) had this office to bring things to your remembrance, and the Ministery is the instrument by which he doth it. Alexander would have a monitor to be alwayes prompting this memento∣te esse hominem; And the Romans, when riding in glorious triumph, would have some to remember them of their mortality. But Christ hath provided a more constant help for thee, to have spiritual watchmen and remembrancers, who are never to cease minding of thee; Say not then, what should I go to hear a Sermon for, I know already as much as can be said? For though that be false, yet if it were granted, you must know, the Ministery is for your memory as well as judgement, and who needeth not to have that often quick∣ned to its duty?

Fifthly, In that Christ hath appointed Sacraments in the Church, which [ V] among other ends are to quicken up and excite our memory; it is plain, that they are polluted, that we are prone to forget all the benefits of God, though never so precious; Sacraments have for their generical nature a sign; They are signs, and that not only obsignatives and in some sense exhibitive, but also commemo∣rative; hence in the very Institution of the Lords-Supper, we have this injun∣ction, Do this in remembrance of me, 1 Cor. 11. 24. Not that the commemo∣ration of Christs death with thankfullness and joy, is the total and adequate

end of the Lords-Supper, as the Socinians affirme, making us to receive no new special influences of Gods grace thereby upon our soules, or any renewed exhibitive Communion of Christ with his benefits to us, but meerly a comme∣moration, of what benefit is past: As (say they) the Israelites, when they ce∣lebrated that publick mercy of deliverance out of Egypt, had not thereby a new deliverance, but only there was a celebration of the old: Thus they would have it in the Sacrament of the Lords-Supper. But the principall and chief end of the Lords-Supper, is to conveigh further degrees of grace and comfort to the true receivers, yet we acknowledge it also a speciall and great end in the Sacrament to be commemorative, and that Christ hereby would have our memories quickned about that infinite love shewed to us in dying for us, Now what can be more demonstrating the naughtiness and sinfullness of the memory then this very thing? For, who would not think that Christs volun∣tary giving up of himself to such an accursed and ignominious death for us, would alwayes be in our minds? Such signal and transcendent expressions of love would be with us rising, and waking, and going to bed, That though the Devil and the world did never so importunately crowd in with their sug∣gestions, yet this should alwayes be uppermost in our hearts and affections; but Christ by this very institution, doth hereby manifest, what dull and stupid memories we have, and that about the greatest mercies that we are capable of: Would it not be strange if a malefactor should forget his pardon, or Ra∣hab forget the scarlet threed in the window, that was to be the preservative of her life? yet our forgetfullness is greater, when we do not remember our Saviour, and his sufferings for us. And for the other Sacrament of Baptism; how greatly is our obligation by it forgotten? how grosly we do forget that covenant with God, and the dedication of us unto God, renouncing the Devil and his lusts? That was appointed to be a commemorative sign; But how sinfull is our memory? for we do (as it were) need another sign to put us in mind of that, and so in infinitum, what little power hath the memory of these Sacraments upon us? Yea, how little do they come in our mind, thereby to improve our duties and consolations?

[ V] Lastly, That our memories are naturally sinfull will appear, If we con∣sider, how it was with Adam in the state of integrity, he was made right, Eccl. 7. which doth extend to the spiritual perfection of all the parts of his soul; As his mind was indowed with all necessary light and knowledge, so his memory also with all strength and vigor; so that forgetfullness of any thing that was his duty, was no more incident unto him, then any other sinne; It was not, because naturally he had a bad or a forgetfull memory, that made him break the Law of God; for if God had created him found and perfect, in all other parts of his soul, only left him to a weak and frail memory, he could not have been happy, either in temporal or spiritual considerations: As his soul was thus perfected, so his body was in a found and well tempered constitution, having no redundancy of humors thereby to hinder the operations of the soul by memory, he was not subject to diseases or old age, or any thing else, that doth empair the memory of man, but now our sun is become a dung∣hill, and our gold dross: As original sinne hath pestilentially insected all parts of the soul, so the memory hath not escaped this pollution; for where it is naturally able, there it is spiritually impotent; when it might remember, if improved and put upon, there is it negligent, and careless: how many say, They cannot remember any good thing delivered to them? press them about the Scripture, and the good truths of God preached to them, and they will justify themselves by pleading the badness of their memory, whereas it is for want of a good heart, and a good will; if thy affections were ardent and burning about these things, thy memory would be more retentive of good

things then they are. Besides, little do you know, what your memory would do, if you did put it upon frequent exercise, few know what their memories could do, if exercised about holy things, because few are industrious and active to put it on work. Austin (lib. 4^to de origine animae.) relateth of his friend Simplicius, how he was desired to repeat verses out of Virgil backwards and forwards, and also the Prose of Tully, with an inversed order, and this he did to their great admiration, yet Austin saith, That Simplicius did solemnly pro∣test, that he never did so before, neither had he ever tried, whether his memory were able for such an exercise or no. By this example. we see, that none know what their memories would do, if they did more carefully and diligently put them upon it. But grant that the memory be naturally impotent, though this you heard be not formally a sinne, yet it is the fruit of it, and so matter of humilia∣tion. Learned men say, That what fit constitution and temperature is required in the brain for a sound and solid judgement, the contrary is for a good and strong memory, and therefore (they say) it is, that a strong judgement, and a strong memory, seldom go together; As (saith Erasmus) the beast Lynx hath a most acute sight, but is a most stupid and forgetfull creature: Now if this be so, then this ariseth from Adam's fall, for no doubt Adam had both a perfect judgement, and a perfect memory, and it cometh through original sinne, that the body is so distempered, that what helpeth for one faculty of the soul, impe∣deth and hindreth the other. The Summe of this particular is, That wherein our memories do now come short of that, which Adam's memory while perfect was able to do, that is either expresly and formally a sinne, or the immediate issue and punishment of sinne.