The Morning exercise [at] Cri[ppleg]ate, or, Several cases of conscience practically resolved

The S•cinians here and others will have us believe that we all are born, as innocent as Adam in Paradise; that is (say they) in an equilibrium and perfect indifferency to good and evil, assigning no other cause of the general corruption of mens lives and manners, but the infection of example, and evil custom, which is methinks as wise a guess, as to affirm the Wolf and Vulture to be bred and hatched with as sweet and harmless a nature, as the innocent Lamb, or loving Turtle, but only the naughty behaviour, and ill example of their ancestors, and companions have debauched them into ravenousness, and ill manners.

The S•cinians here and others will have us believe that we all are born, as innocent as Adam in Paradise; that is (say they) in an aequilibrium and perfect indifferency to good and evill, assigning no other cause of the generall corruption of mens lives and manners, but the infection of example, and evill custome, which is methinks as wise a guesse, as to affirm the Wolf and Vulture to be bred and hatch't with as sweet and harmlesse a nature, as the innocent Lamb, or loving Turtle, but only the naughty behaviour, and ill example of their auncestors, and companions have debauched them into ravennousnesse, and ill manners.

The Manichees (as St. Austin tells who was himself for several years before his conversion of that heresy) thought that all the evil in the world sprang from an Almighty and an eternal principle of evil, ⟨p. 106⟩counter-working, and over-bearing God; whom they held the opposite eternal principle of goodness. But since the very formal notion of God, involveth infinite perfection, and that of sin, mere imperfection, it is a perfect contradiction, that evil should be infinite, if good be so; It were to make imperfection perfect, and mere impotency Omnipotent. Therefore there can be but one God, who is Almighty goodness. And as possible it is, that the Sun should darken the world by shining, as Almighty goodness should do any hurt in the world, or make any evil. God is the Author of all the good in the world, but sin and misery are of our making,