Three treatises of the vanity of the creature. The sinfulness of sin. The life…Three treatises of the vanity of the creature. The sinfulnesse of sinne. The life…

Thirdly, it is to be observed that in original sin (as in all other) there are two things, Deordination or sinfulness, and Guilt or obligation unto punishment. And though the former of these be inseparable from nature in this life yet every man that believeth and repenteth hath the damnation thereof taken away, it shall not prove unto him mortal. But now this is the calamity; Though a man have the guilt of this sin taken of from his person by the benefit of his own faith, and the grace of Christ to him: yet still both the deordination, and the guilt passeth over unto his posterity by derivation from him. For the former the case is most evident, what ever is borne of flesh is¹ flesh, no man can bring a clean thing out of an unclean, an evil root must bring forth evil branches, a bitter fountain corrupt streams; leaven will derive sourness into the whole mass, and the Fathers treason will stain the blood of all his posterity: And it is as certain for the latter, that though guilt and punishment may be remitted to the Father, yet from him it may be transmitted to his child. Every parent is the channel of death to his posterity. Totum gonu• […] fecit Adam is damnationis ²traduce•; Adam did diffuse and propagate damnation unto all mankind. Neither is […] any wonder, or injustice ⟨p. 196⟩that from a cursed root should proceed branches fit for³ nothing but the fire. As a Jew that was circumcised brought forth an uncircumcised son, as clean corn sowed comes up with chaff and stubble, as the seed of a good Olive brings forth a wild Olive: so is it with the best that are, their Graces concur not to natural generation, and therefore from them is nothing naturally propagated. For first the wiping off of Guilt while the fault abides is an Act of Grace and pardon; now pardons are ever immediate from special favour, from direct grant, and therefore cannot run in the blood, nor come to a man in the virtue of his birth, or by derivation; especially where the pardon runs not in general terms, but personally by way of privilege and exemption, and that too upon certain conditions, the performance and virtue whereof is intransient, and cannot avail any by way of imputation or redundancy.