2. This is farther evident from the comparison between Christ and Adam, instituted by the apostle; for as we are all dead without
1 " Quid porro ad tertium respondeois ? — Apostolus eo in loco non agit de inimor- talitate [mortalitate], verum de morte ipsa. Mortalitas vero a morte multuni dissidet; siquidem potest esse quis mortalis, nee tamen unquam mori."
* " Quae igitux est horum verborum sententia, quod mors per peccatum introieril in mundnm ? — Hebc, quod Adamus ob peccatum, dccreto et sententia Dei, seternse morti suhjectus est ; proinde, omnes homines, eo quod ex eo nati sunt, cidem aeternae morti subjaceant. Rem ita esse, collatio Christi cum Adamo, quam apostolus eodem capita, a ■ver. 12 ad finem, instituit, indicio est."
164) VINDICI/E EVANOELIC^.
Christ and his righteousness, and have not the least right to life or a blessed immortality, so antecedently to the consideration of Adam and his disobedience, we were not in the least obnoxious unto death, or any way liable to it in our primitive condition.
And this is all that our catechists have to plead for themselves, or to except against our arguments and testimonies to the cause in hand ; which how weak it is in itself, and how short it comes of reaching to the strength we insist on, a little comparison of it with what went before will satisfy the pious reader.
What remains of that chapter, consisting in the depravation of two or three texts of Scripture to another purpose than that in hand, I shall not divert to the consideration of, seeing it will more orderly fall under debate in another place.
What our catechists add elsewhere about original sin, or their at- tempt to disprove it, being considered, shall give a close to this dis- course.
Their 10th chapter is, "De libero arbitrio;" where, after, in answer to the first question proposed, they have asserted that it is in our power to yield obedience unto God, as having free will in our crea- tion so to do, and having by no way or means lost that liberty or power, their second question is, —
Q. 7s not this free will corrupted by original sin ?
A. There is no such thing as original sin, wherefore that cannot vitiate free will, nor can that oi'iginal sin be proved out of the Scripture ; and the fall of Adam, being but one act, could not have that force as to corrupt his own nature, much less that of his posterity. And that it was inflicted on him as a punishment neither doth the Scripture teach, and it is incredible that God, who is the fountain of all goodness, would so do.'
1. This is yet plain dealing; and it is well that men who know neither God nor themselves have yet so much honesty left as to speak downright what they intend. Quickly despatched ! — " There is no such thing as original sin." To us, the denying of it is one argu- ment to prove it. Were not men blind and dead in sin, they could not but be sensible of it; but men swimming with the water feel not the strength of the stream.
2. But doth the Scripture teach no such thing ? Doth it nowhere teach that we, who were " created upright, in the image of God, are now dead in trespasses and sins, by nature children of wrath, having the wrath of God upon us, being blind in our undej:standings, and alienated from the life of God, not able to receive the things that
' " Nonne peccato originis hoc liberum arbitrium vitiatum est ? — Peccatum originis nullum prorsus est : quare nee liberum arbitrium vitiare potuit, nee cnim e Scriptura id peccatum originis doceri potest; et lapsus Adoe cum unus actus fuevit, vim eam quae depravave ipsam naturam Adami, multo minus vero posterorum ipsius posset, habere non potuit. Ipsi vero in poeuam irrogatum fuisse, nee Scriptura docet, uti supcrius exposuimus ; et Deum ilium, qui omnis sequitatis fons est, incredibile prorsus est, id facere voluisse." — Cap x. de lib. arbit. q. 2.
OF man's condition before and after the fall. 165
are of God, which are spiritually discerned, our carnal minds being- enmity to God, not subject to his law, nor can be; that our hearts are stony, our affections sensual ; that we are wholly come short of the glory of God ; that every figment of our heart is evil, so that we can neither think, nor speak, nor do that which is spiritually good or acceptable to God ; that being born of the flesh, we are flesh, and unless we are born again, can by no means enter into the king- dom of heaven; that all this is come upon us by the sin of one man, whence also judgment passed on all men to condemnation?" Can nothing of all this be proved from the Scripture? These gentle- men know that Ave contend not about words or expressions. Let them grant this hereditary corruption of our nature, alienation from God, impotency to good, deadness and obstinacy in sin, want of the Spirit, image, and grace of God, with obnoxiousness thereon to eternal condemnation, and give us a fitter expression to declare this state and condition by in respect of every one's personal interest therein, and we will, so it may please them, call it " original sin" no more.