A treatise of Paradise. And the principall contents thereof especially of the greatnesse, situation, beautie, and other properties of that place: of the trees of life, good and euill; of the serpent, cherubin, fiery sword, mans creation, immortalitie, propagation, stature, age, knowledge, temptation, fall, and exclusion out of Paradise; and consequently of his and our originall sin: with many other difficulties touching these points. Collected out of the holy Scriptures, ancient fathers, and other both ancient and moderne writers.

CHAP. LV.

In which the last opinion of the precedent Chapter is refuted, and the truth set downe in what consisted the sinne of our first father, and ours contracted from him.

WE may easily perceiue by the o∣pinions refuted in the precedent Chapters, how easie it is, euen for the greatest witts to erre in supernaturall matters, without the assistance of Gods supernaturall grace, and illumination, seeing that those who were accounted the very mirrours of wisdome in their time, haue beene so hoodwinked and blinded in the cause and first fountaine of their felicitie, insomuch that though they knew, that they were conceiued, as Dauid saith, in iniquitie and sinne, yet they were not able to declare sufficient∣ly in what consisted that iniquitie, and originall sinne, much lesse to demon∣strate with any certainety, that which

S. Austine almost in one word doth de∣clare so euidently, libro q^o: de nuptijs, & concupiscentijs cap. 23, & 26. where hee expresly holdeth that our originall sin consisteth in concupiscence, which though it remaine in the regenerate, yet is it not imputed to them, in ijs ergo qui regene∣rantur in Christo, in those therefore who are regenerated in Christ, when they re∣ceiue the remission of all their sinnes, it is necessarie that the guiltinesse of this as yet remaining concupiscence, be remitted; So that (as I haue already said) it be not im∣puted to sin for as the guiltinesse of those sinnes, which cannot remaine, because they passe, when they are committed, remaineth neuerthelesse; which if it be not remitted, will remaine for euer: so the guiltinesse of the foresaid concupiscence, when it is re∣mitted, is quite taken away.

* 1.1So that here we see auerred and pro∣ued, that which many learned late wri∣ters doe auouch as a matter of faith, eui∣dently deducing it out of the 6, 7, & 8. chap. of the Apostle to the Romanes, and the 11 to the Hebrues, to wit, that our originall iniustice consisteth in con∣cupiscence,

the which though it doth remaine in the regenerate, yet is it not imputed vnto them; so that as diuers learned men doe declare themselues in this matter, tegitur, non tollitur; raditur, non eradicatur: it is couered, not rooted out; it remaineth, but is not imputed.

For proofe of which,* 1.2 I will only pon∣der the example of Paul, who no doubt was regenerate, at least after he was cal∣led an Apostle; and yet he could finde this sinne of concupiscence within himselfe, striuing against the spirit, yea hee did acknowledge it to be his origi∣nall sinne, the fountaine of all actuall sinnes, and therefore hee addeth, Wee know that the law is spirituall, but I am carnall, sold vnder sinne: for I allow not that which I doe; for what I would, that doe I not; but what I hate, that doe I: now then it is no more I that doth it, but sinne that dwelleth in mee. Now what sinne is this the Apostle speaketh of, but origi∣nall, or concupiscence, remaining as yet euen after his regeneration, draw∣ing him vnto that which he would not, and therefore afterward in the same

chapter, opposing it to the right incli∣nation of the minde, hee calleth it ano∣ther law in his members, rebelling against the law of his minde, and leading him cap∣tiue vnto the law of sinne, which was in his members: and hence he concludeth, O wretched man that I am, who shall deli∣uer mee from the body of this death? that is, from originall sinne, the which as it is the death of the soule, so likewise it causeth the death of the body.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Calvin. lib. 2. Instit. c. 1. Melancth. in colloq••io Wormatien. & apologia confessionis A gustanae.
• * 1.2

  Rom. 7. verse 14. 15 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. & sequenti∣bus.