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SECT. VI.
[ 5] FIfthly, It's Natural, Because it's necessarily in every one; we are necessarily thus defiled and stained; And in this respect chiefly, we call it Natural, be∣cause it's not voluntary, it's not subject to the exercise of free-will: For al∣though, as was said, the heart of man inclineth to the highest impieties, yet the exercise of some gross impieties are subject to our power in some measure, a man is not in this sense necessarily a drunkard, or an adulterer; but when we speak of this inward filthiness, it's so natural, that it's necessary: Neither the being of it, or the immediate motions of it are subject to our reason and will, but they are in us antecedently to our own consent; and this consideration doth greatly aggravate our guilt, for we are not only habitually and actually, or vo∣luntarily sinfull, but naturally and necessarily so. Now as it is the great aggra∣vation of Gods holiness, that he is not only actually holy, but naturally, yet vo∣luntarily: So it must be our great condemnation, that we are not only actually and voluntarily sinfull, but even naturally and necessarily, yet this necessity taketh not off from voluntariness, and delight in sin.
It's Ivy twisted about, and eaten into our Nature, whether we will or no; So that it is ours, not because we will it, and make it ours by consent, but be∣cause it's inherently in us before the least deliberate actings of the soul: Inso∣much that as Suarez well observeth, If a man grown up in years should by a per∣sonal, formal, and explicit consent agree to Adam's sinne, yet that would only be a personal sinne in him, it would not make Adam's sinne his; And the reason is, because this sinne doth now descend upon us by natural propagation, not by voluntary agreement, yet this necessity of it doth not at all abate from the de∣light and pleasure that we find in the actings thereof: Neither is it such a natural necessity, as hunger or thirst, which are not culpable, because they are not contrary to the Law of God, neither were at first contracted by Adam's free choice, but are a necessary concomitant of mans constitution in an animal life, whereas this necessity is the issue of Adam's free-will, and is subjectively in our will, whereby a man is carried out at the same time to sinne, both necessa∣rily and yet voluntarily, and so agreeth rather with those who have contracted an habit of sinne, who sinne in some respect necessarily, as the Prophet expres∣seth it, Jer. 13. 23. Can the Ethiopian change his skin? or the Leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.