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

IT being thus the nature-sin, ¹and not a personal individual one, it is very absurd, either from a preposterous admiration, or some other respect to exempt any born in a natural way from this birth sin. In this way we find the Papists greatly offending concerning the Virgin, out of a sinful admiration of her, thinking thereby to honour Christ: Some of them do peremptorily conclude, That the Virgin Mary was born without original sin, and thereupon they keep the feast of her Immaculate and undefiled Conception: Yea some have gone so far as to say the Virgin Mary's mother, was also without original sin; And if we proceed upon their principles. Why should they not affirm so? For as they say, It is for the honour of Christ to have a Mother without original sin, so it would be for the honour of the Virgin, to have her Mother without sin likewise. Now (I say) some of the Papists determine, That the Virgin Mary was conceived without sin. Trithemius his great zeal and devotion in this point, is abundantly declared by him in his Tractate of the praises of S. Anna, especially Chap. 7. yea he is so confident in his assertion of the immaculate Conception of the Mother of Christ, that he saith, Si erramus pietas (imo Deus ipse) est in causâ; Piety, yea God himself is the cause of it. It hath been a very hot Dispute between the Dominicans and the Franciscans. Bellarmine goeth a middle way, he will not have it an Article of Faith to believe she was thus pure, but yet he saith, It is a most pious opinion, and therefore, he giveth several Arguments for it: But Estius saith in Rom. 5. the Scriptures and ancient Fathers speak exclusively, that none but Christ was freed from original sin; as if it would be an high offence in him to depart from them, though he doth not judge others. The late heretical Writer D. J. T. (as Austin would call him if alive, for he maketh every one that thinketh not all mankind, except Christ, to be born in original sin, so as the flesh of Christ and of other men should be of equal purity, to be Detectandus Haereticus, Lib. 5. contra Julian. cap 9.) glorieth in this; (Unum Necessar. cap. 6. Sect. 6.)

IT being thus the nature-sinne, ¹and not a personal individual one, it is very absurd, either from a preposterous admiration, or some other respect to exempt any born in a natural way from this birth sinne. In this way we find the Papists greatly offending concerning the Virgin, out of a sinfull admiration of her, thinking thereby to honour Christ: Some of them do peremptorily conclude, That the Virgin Mary was born without original sinne, and thereupon they keep the feast of her Immaculate and undefiled Conception: Yea some have gone so farre as to say the Virgin Mary's mother, was also without original sinne; And if we proceed upon their principles. Why should they not affirm so? For as they say, It is for the honour of Christ to have a Mother without original sinne, so it would be for the honour of the Virgin, to have her Mother without sinne likewise. Now (I say) some of the Papists determine, That the Virgin Mary was conceived without sinne. Trithemius his great zeal and devotion in this point, is abundantly declared by him in his Tractate of the praises of S. Anna, especially Chap. 7. yea he is so confident in his assertion of the immaculate Conception of the Mother of Christ, that he saith, Si erramus pietas (imo Deus ipse) est in causâ; Piety, yea God himself is the cause of it. It hath been a very hot Dispute between the Deminicans and the Franciscans. Bellarmine goeth a middle way, he will not have it an Article of Faith to believe she was thus pure, but yet he saith, It is a most pious opinion, and therefore, he giveth several Arguments for it: But Estius saith in