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

The Pollution of the Will in its Act of Intention.

The word Intention is a Metaphor from the Archer, who aiming at a mark, useth his greatest skill and endeavour to hit. The Scripture speaks of the Benjamites, as famous in this way; Now every thing that man doth as a rational agent is to have some end, some mark and aim, and what that is, the Scripture doth direct unto, Gods glory is the aim, What ever ye do, do all to the glory of God, 1 Cor. 10. 31. So then we see, what is to be the object of our intention, what we are to aim at in all that we do; Whence also we must be directed and guided therein (viz) by the Word of God. This being concluded on, we see that the will in every sin it commits, doth fail and err in its intention, therefore is all sin called [Greek or Hebrew], an aberration from the scope: Every action that is not done for God, is like an arrow shot besides the mark, that shooting is lo••, it was to no purpose, and it cannot be recovered again. All rational agents intend an end, and if that be not obtained, there is a miscarriage; So that as in natural things, when there is some error, a monster is brought forth: Thus it is in voluntary and moral things; Every sin is a monster, and thou oughtst to be more astonished and trembling under every sin, then a woman would be in seeing a monster come from her; So that in every sin the will is corrupted in its intention; But yet more particularly let us consider, how the intention of the will is deprived, and that in these ways:

THe word Intention is a Metaphor from the Archer, who aiming at a mark, useth his greatest skill and endeavour to hit. The Scripture speaks of the Benjamites, as famous in this way; Now every thing that man doth as a rational agent is to have some end, some mark and aim, and what that is, the Scripture doth direct unto, Gods glory is the aim, What ever ye do, do all to the glory of God, 1 Cor. 10. 31. So then we see, what is to be the object of our intention, what we are to aim at in all that we do; Whence also we must be directed and guided therein (viz) by the Word of God. This being concluded on, we see that the will in every sinne it commits, doth fail and erre in its intention, therefore is all sinne called , an aberration from the scope: Every action that is not done for God, is like an arrow shot besides the mark, that shooting is lo, it was to no purpose, and it cannot be recovered again. All rational agents intend an end, and if that be not obtained, there is a miscarriage; So that as in natural things, when there is some errour, a monster is brought forth: Thus it is in voluntary and moral things; Every sinne is a monster, and thou oughtst to be more astonished and trembling under every sinne, then a woman would be in seeing a monster come from her; So that in every sinne the will is corrupted in its intention; But yet more particularly let us consider, how the intention of the will is deprived, and that in these wayes: