The harmony of the divine attributes in the contrivance and accomplishment of man's redemption…

In short, There is so much power not to sin as is sufficient to sin; that is, that the forbidden action be free, and so become a Sin. Which strange combination of Liberty and Necessity is excellently expressed by St. Bernard, That the Soul which fell by its own choice,¹ can't recover it self, is from the corruption of the Will, which overcome by the vicious love of the Body, rejects the love of Righteousness, so that in a manner as strange as evil, the Will being corrupted with Sin, makes a necessity to it self, yet so that the necessity being voluntary, doth not excuse the Will, nor the Will being pleasantly and powerfully allured exclude ⟨p. 67⟩Necessity. The Law therefore remains in its full force, and God is righteous in the commanding and condemning Sinners. From all that hath been discoursed 'tis evident, how impossible it is for corrupt Man to recover his lost Holiness: For there are only two Motives to induce the reasonable Creature to seek after it.

In short, There is so much power not to sin as is sufficient to sin; that is, that the forbidden action be free, and so become a Sin. Which strange combination of Liberty and Necessity is excellently exprest by St. Bernard, That the Soul which fell by its own choice,¹ can't recover it self, is from the corruption of the Will, which overcome by the vitious love of the Body, rejects the love of Righteousness, so that in a manner as strange as evil, the Will being corrupted with Sin, makes a necessity to it self, yet so that the necessity being voluntary, doth not excuse the Will, nor the Will being pleasantly and powerfully allur'd exclude ⟨p. 67⟩Necessity. The Law therefore remains in its full force, and God is righteous in the commanding and condemning Sinners. From all that hath been discours'd 'tis evident, how impossible it is for corrupt Man to recover his lost Holiness: For there are only two Motives to induce the reasonable Creature to seek after it.

1. 1Quod surgere Anima per se non po•est, quae per se cadere potuit, voluntas in causa est, quae corruptè corporis vitioso amore languescens, & jacens, amorem justitiae non admitit: Ita nescio quo pravo, sed mio modo, ipsa sibi voluntas, peccato quidem in deterius mutata, necessitatem facit, ut nec necessitas cùm voluntaria fit, excusare valeat voluntatem, nec voluntas cùm fit illecta, excludere necessitatem.