THE fall or first sin of man was the disobedience of our first parents, Adam and Eve in paradise; or, the eating of the apple and fruit forbidden by God.*Thou shalt eate freely of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of knowledge of good and evill thou shalt not eate of it: for in the day that thou shalt eat thereof, thou shalt die the death. This commandement of God, man through the perswasion of the Divell trangressed, and hence is our corruption and misery derived. Is then the plucking of an apple so heinous a crime? Yea verily, a grievous offence;* because in it many horrible sins are fast linked together: [ 1] *Pride against God, ambition, and an admiration of himselfe: for man, not content with that state wherein God had placed him, desired to be equal with God. This God doth charge him with, when he saith;*Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: [ 2] *Incredulity and unbeliefe, and contempt of Gods ju∣stice and mercy: for he tempted God, and charged him with a lye: For God had said, Thou shalt die the death: The Divel denied it, saying, Ye shall not die:* and farther, the Divel accused God of envie, saying; But God knoweth that when ye shall eate thereof,*your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil. Here Adam gave credence to the Divel, & did eat of the forbidden fruit; neither did he beleeve that God would therefore inflict that punishment on him which he had threatned. Now not to beleeve God, and of the contrary to beleeve the Divel, is to account God for no God; nay, to seat and install the Divell in the place of God. This sin was heavie and horrible above measure. [ 3] *Stubbornnesse and disobedience towards God; because a∣gainst the expresse commandement of God he did eate of the apple. [ 4] *Ʋnthank∣fulnesse for benefits received at his creation; as, for these, that he was created to the I∣mage of God, and to eternall life: for which he rendered this thankes, that hee rather hearkened and inclined to the Divel then God. [ 5] *Ʋnnaturalnesse and neglect of love towards his posterity: because (miserable and wretched man!) he thought not with Page  46himselfe, that as he had received those good things for himselfe and his posterity, so he should by sinning against God make losse of them both from himselfe and them. [ 6] *Apostasie or manifest defection from God to the Divell, whom hee beleeved and obeyed rather then God, whom he set up in the place of God, with-drawing and sundring himselfe from God. Hee did not aske of God those good things which he was to receive; but rejecting the wisdome and direction of God, by the advice of the Divell, will aspire to be equall with God. Wherefore the fall of man was no light and simple, or single fault; but was a manifold and terrible sinne, for which God justly rejected man with all his posterity. Hence wee easily answer that objection: Object. No just Judge inflicteth a great punishment for a small offence; God is a just Judge: Thorefore hee should not have punished the eating of an Apple so grievously. Answ. The eating of the Apple was no small sinne, but manifold and outrageous; in which was conceived Pride, Ʋnthankefulnesse, Apostasie, &c. as hath been already proved: Therefore God justly inflicted a great punishment on man∣kind for the same. Repli. Yet at the least hee should have spared mans posterity, be∣cause himselfe hath said;*The sonne shall not beare the iniquity of the father. Answ. True, if so the sonne be not partaker of his fathers wickednesse: But here all are partakers of Adams iniquity.

*THe first sinne of man sprang not from God, but from the instigation of the Divell, and from the free-will of man: For the Divell provoked man to fall away from God; and man, yeelding to the inticing allurements of the Divell, freely revolted from God, and wilfully forsook him. Now, although God left man destitute in his temptation, yet he is not the cause of his fall, or sinne, or destruction of man: For in that dereliction or forsaking of man, God neither intended, nor effected any of these; but he proved and tried man, to shew how impotent and unable the creature is to doe, or retaine ought that is good, God not preserving and directing him by his Spirit: and together with his triall of man, hee in his just judgement suffered the sinne of man to concurre, but he was no cause or efficient of it. Flesh∣ly wisdome thus reasoneth against this doctrine: Object. Whosoever with-draweth grace in the time of temptation, without which the fall cannot be avoided, hee is the cause of the fall; but God with-held from man his grace in the time of temptation, with∣out which hee could not but fall: Therefore God was the cause of the fall. Answ. The Major is true onely of him, who with-holdeth grace, when hee is obliged and bound not to with-hold it: and him, who with-draweth it from such a one as desireth it; not from such a one as wilfully rejecteth it: and of him, who of despight and malice with-draweth it. But it is not true of him, who is neither bound to preserve and maintaine the grace which hee sometime gave; and who with-holdeth it not from such a one as desireth to have it continued; but from him, who is willing hee should so doe, and voluntarily refuseth it: and, who denieth it not therefore, because hee envieth the offendors righteousnesse and life eternall, or is delighted with the sinne; but onely to this purpose, to try him to whom hee hath imparted grace: For hee who forsaketh any man on this manner, is not the cause of sinne, howsoever in him, who is thus forsaken, sinne necessarily follow∣eth this dereliction and with-drawing of grace. Now God in the temptation of man with-held his grace from him not after the former, but the latter manner here expressed: Wherefore God is not the cause of mans sinne and destruction for with-drawing, but man for wilfull rejecting of grace. Repl. Whosoever will that such a one be tempted, whom he certainly knoweth that he will fall, if he be tempted; he willeth his sinne which falleth: but God would that man should be tempted of the Divell, whom he certainly knew that hee would fall; for otherwise, and against the will of God. man could not have been tempted: Therefore God is the cause of mans fall. Answ. This Major is de∣nied as false, if it be simply and precisely taken: For, he is not the cause of sin, who will that he who is apt to fall, be tempted onely for cause of triall, and to make manifest the creatures infirmity. Now God in this sense, and with this intent suffered man to be Page  47tempted, that is, to be proved. But the Divel tempting man, to the end that he might sinne, and be separate and distracted from God; and man willingly obeying the Temp∣ter against the commandement of God, they both are the true causes of sinne. But of the causes of sinne more shall be spoken hereafter.

THE effects of mans first sinne are: [ 1] *Guiltinesse of death, and a privation and destruction of Gods Image in our first Parents. [ 2] *Originall sinne in us their posterity, that is to say, the guilt of eternall death, and the corruption and aversenesse of our whole nature from God. [ 3] *All actuall sinnes which are sprung of originall: for that which is the cause of the cause, is also the cause of the effect: But the first sinne in man is the cause of his originall sinne, and this of his actuall sinne. [ 4] *All the evils of punishment which are inflicted for sinnes. Therefore the first sinne of man is the cause of all other his sins and punishments. Now whether it stand with Gods justice to punish the posterity for the sinne of the parents, it shall hereafter in the common place of Originall sinne be fully resolved.

GOD could have kept man from falling if hee would,* but hee permitted him to fall, that is, hee gave him not the grace of resistance against the temptati∣on of the Divell; and that for two causes: [ 1] *That it might stand for an example of the weakenesse and infirmity of the creature, were it not supported, and preserved in origi∣nall righteousnesse by the Creator. [ 2] *That by this occasion God might shew his goodnesse, mercy, and grace, in saving the Elect by Christ: and that hee might shew his justice and power in punishing the wicked and reprobate for their sinnes; according to these sayings of Scripture: God hath shut up all in unbeliefe,*that he might have mercy on all, and every mouth might be stopped. And, God, to shew his wrath, and make his po∣wer knowne, suffered with long patience the vessels of wrath prepared to destruction; and that hee might declare the riches of his glory upon the vessels of mercy, which hee hath pre∣pared unto glory.

This doctrine concerning the Creation and fall of man is necessary for the Church, for many causes and uses which it hath. [ 1] 1. Wee must know that man was created of God without sinne,* lest God be imagined the authour or cause of sinne: [ 2] 2. Whereas mans body was fashioned of clay, let us thinke of our frailty that wee be not lifted up with pride. [ 3] 3. Seeing that the workmanship of God is so admirable in the framing of mans body, and seeing it was created for the mini∣stery of Gods worship, and for God to dwell in, and for everlasting life; let us neither abuse it to dishonesty, neither willingly destroy it, neither make it a stie of Divels; but keeping it chaste and clean, endeavour that it be a temple and instru∣ment of the holy Ghost to worship God: [ 4] 4. Seeing that God would have man∣kind to consist of two sexes, each is to have his due place and honour, neither is the weaker to be contemned, or oppressed by tyranny, or lust, or to be entertained with injuries and contumelies, but justly to be governed and protected: [ 5] 5. But especi∣ally, seeing man was created to the image and likenesse of God, this great glory is to be acknowledged and celebrated with thankfull minde, neither through our lewdnesse and malice is the image and likenesse of God to be transformed into the image and likenesse of Satan, neither to be destroyed either in our selves, or others: [ 6] 6. And seeing it is destroyed by sinne through our own fault, wee must acknow∣ledge and bewaile the greatnesse of this unthankfulnesse, and the evils which fol∣lowed, by comparing therewith those good things which we have lost. [ 7] 7. We must earnestly desire the restoring of this felicity and glory: [ 8] 8. And because the glory and blessednesse, which is restored unto us by the Son of God is greater then that which wee lost in Adam; so much the more must the desire of thankfulnesse and of profiting and increasing in godlinesse be kindled in us: [ 9] 9. And seeing we heare Page  48that all things were created for the use of man, and that the dominion over the creatures lost in Adam, is restored unto us in Christ; we must magnifie the boun∣tifulnesse of God toward us: we must aske all things of him, as being our Creatour and soveraigne Lord, who hath the right and power of giving all good things, to whom, and how far he will himselfe; and use those things which are granted to our use with a good conscience, and to the glory of God, who gave them. [ 10] 10. And that this may be done, we must not by infidelity cast our selves out of that right which we receive in Christ: and if God of his owne power and authority either give us lesse then wee would, or take away from us that which he hath given, wee must submit our selves patiently to his just purpose, as most profitable for our salvation. [ 11] 11. And seeing the soule is the better part of man, and the happiness of the body dependeth on the happinesse of the soule; and seeing also we are crea∣ted to immortall life, we ought to have a greater care of those things which be∣long to the soule and eternall life, then of those things which belong unto the body and this temporall life. [ 12] 12. And at length, seeing the end and blessednesse of man is the participation and communicating of God, his knowledge, and wor∣ship, let us ever tend unto it, and referre thither all our life and actions. [ 13] 13. And seeing we see one part of mankind to be vessels of wrath, to shew the justice and severity of God against sin, let us be thankfull to God, sith of his meere and infinite goodnesse he would have us to be vessels of mercy, to declare through all eternity the riches of his glory. [ 14] 14. Last of all, that we may learne, consider, and begin these things in this life, let us, to our power, tender and help forward the common society and salvation of others, for which we are borne.