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

Wherein the memory of man is polluted.

This sure foundation then being said, Let us proceed to show, Wherein the memory of man is so greatly polluted; And that will appear,

THis sure foundation then being said, Let us proceed to shew, Wherein the memory of man is so greatly polluted; And that will appear,

First, Very remarkably, If you consider all the several objects which by the Scripture we are daily to have in our memory, and we are naturally in a constant and daily forgetfulness of them. Only it is good to take notice of a distinction which Vossius (De Origine Idolat. lib. 1. cap. 11.) observeth out of Bonaventure, That there is a two-fold forgetfulness, 1. When the very Species or Images of things are quite obliterated and deleted, this may be called a natural forgetfulness. 2. When though the Species be retained, and we do remember, yet through carelessness and negligence, we do not attend to that duty, which should flow from our memory, and this may be called a moral forgetfulness: And indeed we have too much experience of this later kind of forgetfulness, for how many are there that do remember Sermons, that do carry in their minds several Texts of Scripture, and that against those very sins they do commit daily? Now in the Scripture language this is forgetfulness, such are said not to remember, because they do not what they ought to do upon their memory. In both these considerations I shall speak of the pollution of the memory.

First, Very remarkably, If you consider all the several objects which by the Scripture we are daily to have in our memory, and we are naturally in a constant and daily forgetfulnesse of them. Onely it is good to take notice of a distinction which Vossius (De Origine Idolat. lib. 1. cap. 11.) observeth out of Bonaventure, That there is a two-fold forgetfulnesse, 1. When the very Species or Images of things are quite obliterated and deleted, this may be called a natural forgetfulnesse. 2. When though the Species be reteined, and we do remember, yet through carelesnesse and negligence, we do not attend to that duty, which should flow from our memory, and this may be called a moral forgetfulnesse: And indeed we have too much experience of this later kind of forgetfulnesse, for how many are there that do remember Sermons, that do carry in their minds several Texts of Scripture, and that against those very sinnes they do commit daily? Now in the Scripture language this is forgetfulnesse, such are said not to remember, because they do not what they ought to do upon their memory. In both these considerations I shall speak of the pollution of the memory.