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

SECT. X.

Reasons why we must be humbled for Original Sinne.

FIrst, Because original sinne is in some sense all sinne; It is the universal conta∣gion of all the parts of the soul; it hath Maculam universalem, all actual sins they have only their particular spot or stain, and do more immediately pollute that power or faculty of the soul, it is immediately subjected in, as blindness of mind doth properly infect the understanding, not the will or affections: so con∣tumacy in the will, doth not but by consent or sympathy, as it were, infect the mind, but original sinne doth pollute all over, it's like a Gangrene over the whole body, whereas actual sinnes are like so many several sores: Thus original sinne is universal subjectively, there being no part of a man, no not his mind, or his conscience, but it is all over defiled, whereas no actual sinne hath such a ge∣neral defilement with it: Oh then what cause is here, why our hearts should bit∣terly mourn and even roar out, for this sinne makes thy soul all over like a Black∣moor! Thou mayest behold thy self in the glass of Gods word, and not see one fair spot; it is a leprosie upon the whole soul, so that it leaveth nothing good in thee. It's true, the substance and faculties of thy soul are left still, yet they are so corrupted and vitiated, that in a moral consideration there is nothing whole or sound in them.

Secondly, From hence it is, That it hath as it were an universal guilt, it makes the understanding guilty, the will guilty, the affections guilty, even guilt all over; Every actual sinne hath its proper formal guilt; the guilt of theft is one thing, the guilt of adultery is another thing, but now original sinne is as it were an universal guilt: As God is that bonum, in quo omnia bona, so in some sense original sinne is that malum, in quo omnia mala, not onely effectively, of which in the next place, but because of the general guilt accompanying; For as it hath a ge∣neral maculam, so it must have suitably a general reatum. This is greatly to be laid to heart; for as original righteousness was not the perfection and glory of one faculty only, but the universal rectitude and general harmony of the whole man; Thus original sinne is not any particular guilt of one kind of sinne, but it's the ataxy, the dissolution of that curious workmanship which God at first made in man, and so is a general guilt; and therefore the more are we to bewail this condition, saying, Lord, It is not one or many sins, it is not this, or that peculiar guilt I am to humble my self for, but I am all over guilty, as the Land of Israel is said to be, Isa. 1. 6. From the sole of the foot to the head, there is no soundness, nothing but wounds and putrifying sores. Thus are we to judge of our selves in respect of this overspreading contagion.

Thirdly, We are greatly to bewail and humble our selves under this birth∣pollution, Because it's the fountain and root of all the actual evil we do commit. This is enough, if there were no external temptations to plunge us into all im∣piety. I shall not here dispute it rigidly, Whether every sinne committed, be∣cause of that original defilement within us, of that we are to speak hereafter. It is enough, that the Scripture doth attribute all actual evil to this, as the cause, Jam. 1. 17. Every one is tempted and drawn aside by the lust which is within him; and out of the evil heart, as an evil treasure, our Saviour saith, Mat. 12. 35. pro∣ceed all evil thoughts, words and actions. Thus also Genes. 6. The imaginations of the thoughts of a mans heart are evil, and that continually, but of this more in its time; onely take notice of this consideration in this place, as a full and clear ground, why thou shouldst with all thy might all the dayes thou livest, abhorre thy self, and loath thy self: It's from this original sinne David's adultery and murder did flow: And thus there is no actual iniquity, which lieth as a load upon

thee, but it did flow from this bitter fountain at first: Wilt thou therefore con∣demn the fruit of a Tree, and not much rather the root? Wilt thou abhorre the stream, and not much rather the fountain? Oh remember that here lieth the strength and power of sinne, and therefore the strength of thy sorrow ought to bend that way likewise.

Fourthly, We are deeply to humble our selves for this birth contagion, Be∣cause in it self it is a most grievous and hainous sinne. It's a dispute, Whether ori∣ginal sinne be not gravissimum peccatum, the heaviest and greatest sinne that is; It is true indeed, many sins may exceed this in several respects, but yet if we lay all things together, we have cause to judge it the heaviest sinne that is; For al∣though Bellarmine minceth the matter, and saith, it is minimum, peccatum, the least sinne in this respect (though he acknowledge it very hainous otherwayes) because it hath minimum de voluntario, yet we must not judge of the greatness of a sinne by a Philosophical notion, but according to the judgement of God, who best knoweth the hainous nature and guilt of sinne; now by Gods punishing of it in such a manner, it appeareth to be the greatest sin, the event doth demon∣strate it; In that we read not of any sinne punished by God in such an high de∣gree, as original sinne was in Adam our first parent, in whose loms we are; For whereas all other sinnes bring only the temporal and spiritual curse upon the offender himself, this doth upon all mankind: Indeed God doth visit sometimes the sins of Parents to the third and fourth generation, but here it is as long as there shall be a generation: And besides, it's not onely temporal evils we suffer for Adam's sinne, in which respect many may suffer for other mens sinnes, as in Achan and David's case, but it is in spiritual destruction likewise, all mankind is obnoxious to eternal damnation for this transgression: That therefore must needs be an horrid sinne, and of a crimson nature, for which we see God to be so sevre, yea not only mankind, but all the creatures likewise are cursed for this; so that had not God provided a new Covenant of grace for some of mankind thus fallen, the whole race of men, would have been eternally damned, and that for this sinne alone, though there had not been one actual sinne committeed in the world by any one man since the fall: Oh then tremble under this consideration, because the anger of God is thus stirred up against that one sin, morethan all the sins that are committed! For though the sinne against the holy Ghost be in this respect more terrible than original sinne, because God will never pardon that, whereas original sinne is pardoned to all believers, and as Antiquity hath thought, even to Adam himself; yet in other respects, original sinne is in a more extense and uni∣versal manner cursed than that: Do not then go to extenuate this sinne, to say, It was but the eating of some for bidden fruit; or original sinne, it hath none of my will, I cannot help it (for we joyn original, imputed, and inherent at this time together, because of their inseparable connexion;) but rather consider the great anger of God that is gone out against all mankind, because of it, and then thou wilt look on it with the same abborring eye that God him∣self doth.

Fifthly, We are greatly to bewail this original defilement, Because it makes us wholly incurable, it depriveth us of all spiritual ability and power to re∣cover our selves; We are thus shapen in iniquity, and so must live and die, and go to hell in it, if Gods grace doth not interpose: Doth not Job, Chap. 14. 4. make it impossible for any man, to bring a clean thing out of an unclean? So that all mankind is born in an absolute impotency to help it self, if we would give thousands of worlds to come out of this lost estate, we could not help ourselves: Hence it is that the Scripture attributeth all the good we have to the alone free grace of God.

Sixthly, We are to bewail it, Because it makes us sensless, stupid, depriving us of all spiritual sense and feeling: So that by it we are put into this sad per∣piexity,

for none need, or are bound more to bewail this sinne, than an unrege∣nerate man, and yet he cannot send forth the least sigh and groan, because of it: So that hereby we have contracted such an unavoidable exigency upon us, that we cannot turn our selves any way; mourn and cry we must for this pol∣lution, yet mourn and cry we cannot, because this is one inseparable effect of it, to take away all tendernesse and mourning: Hence the stony heart mentioned by Ezekiel, Chap. 11. 18. is in a great measure original sinne: Till therefore we are regenerated, as we see in David, Job and Paul, we cannot truly mourn under it.

Lastly, This is a work to do as long as we live, Because it's inseparable from our natures, while we live in this world. God indeed could in our life time, wholly free us from it, as well as at death, but he lets these re∣liques continue, that our tryumph at the Day of Judgement may be the greater, Vivum captivum reservantur ad tryumphum, Captives are preserved alive for the greater trymph; And the rather God doth this, that so even his very Pauls, his most eminent and choicest servants may have matter of debasement within themselves, and more earnestly groan for a day of Re∣demption.