A treatise of original sin ... proving that it is

Thirdly, Those relics of the Image of God, and some implanted dictates and notions, with a natural conscience accusing and excusing; These do demonstrate, that there was a glorious Image of God in us, but we have lost it. There is something in all men by nature, whereby they are convinced of a God, have remorse upon sin, and tremble much when they are dying; Now what are all these but the rubbish and obscure remnants of that holy estate we were created in; So that as when any famous building, or great City are brought to ruin, yet commonly there remain some fragments or others, that witness there was such a famous place once: Thus those implanted Dictates of conscience, those natural apprehensions about a God, though they are very confused, and cannot be a star to guide us to Christ, yet they remain as monuments of that spiritual excellent building. It is true, Illyricus out of his vehement desire to aggravate original sin ⟨p. 174⟩in us, denieth that those common notions about God, or good and evil, are naturally in us, but that they are de novo infused into us by God, and manifested, wherein also he hath some followers, but if such natural dictates remain in the Devils, which is plain, because otherwise they could not be so tormented for their wickedness as they are, why should it be denied to man? The Socinian also denieth any implanted notion about a God, and that the knowledge of him comes by observation of the creatures, and also by education and tradition, but experience as well as Scripture confuteth this, in which respect Tertullian said, O animan naturaliter Christianum! It's true, some more orthodox dispute, Whether the faculty of the understanding in its operations only continueth, or that there are habitual principles inhering in it? It is enough that there remaineth a conscience in man, which like Job's messenger can inform us, though very obscurely of that sad loss which hath befallen us.