The Sum of Christian Religion

5 Objection. They are more miserable unto whom their sins of all their ancestors are derived, the they unto whom have stretched but the sins of some of their ancestors. But if sin pass from the Parents, unto the children, then unto the latest of their posterity come the sins of all the ancestors, unto the former only their sins who lived before them. So then are the latter more miserable then all the rest, which would be absurd, and not agreeable to the justice of God. The first answer to this is: that it would be neither absurd nor unjust, although god should punish more heavily, and more forsake the latter of the posterity, then the former. For how many more sins are committed, and heaped up by mankind, so much the more vehemently is his wrath kindled, and the punishment is more aggravated. Whereupon are those sayings, Genes. 15. The wickedness of the Amorites is not yet full. Matt. 23. That upon you may come all the righteous blood. 2. God therefore suffereth the sin of our first Parents to pass unto all their posterity, as concerning the corruption of nature and guilt: that he might satisfy his own justice, and that himself might have occasion of exercising his mercy in his son. Rom. 5. and 11. But of the actual sins of every man he saith, that he visiteth the iniquity of the father on the children unto the third and fourth generation: that is, according to his justice he punisheth the sins of the parents in their posterity, and yet of his mercy doth set bounds and limits for sin, that the posterity may not always pay for the sins of their ancestors, or imitate them, and that it may not be of necessity that the children of evil Parents should be evil, or worse, or more miserable then ⟨p. 76⟩their Parents: even as also he exerciseth his mercy unto the thousand generation of them that love him, and yet retaineth the liberty of his election, so that not always good Parents have their posterity good also. The reason of this difference between Original and Actual sin is, because that righteousness and life everlasting was not lost first by the posterity, but by our first Parents.

5 Obiection. They are more miserable vnto whom their sinnes of al their ancestors are deriued, the they vnto whom haue stretched but the sinnes of some of their ancestors. But if sinne passe from the Parents, vnto the children, then vnto the latest of their posteritie come the sinnes of al the ancestors, vnto the former onely their sins who liued before them. So then are the latter more miserable then al the rest, which would be absurd, and not agreeable to the iustice of God. The first aunswere to this is: that it would be neither absurd nor vniust, although god should punish more heauily, and more forsake the latter of the posteritie, then the former. For how manie more sinnes are committed, and heaped vp by mankinde, so much the more vehemently is his wrath kindled, and the punishment is more aggrauated. Whereupon are those sayinges,