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

First, The Cause of it, and that is Gods Decree, The Lord said in his heart, that is an expression after the manner of men; For you must not conceive of God as changing his mind, or altering his purposes upon better considerations, or as if he took up a contrary resolution to that, when he intended to destroy the world, but this is wholly spoken to our capacity; By this is meant no more ⟨p. 403⟩then Gods purpose and secret Decree, which yet he manifested to the comfort of Noah, and therefore we have Moses recording of it.

First, The Cause of it, and that is Gods Deceree, The Lord said in his heart, that is an expression after the manner of men; For you must not conceive of God as changing his mind, or altering his purposes upon better considerations, or as if he took up a contrary resolution to that, when he intended to destroy the world, but this is wholly spoken to our capacity; By this is meant no more ⟨p. 403⟩then Gods purpose and secret Decree, which yet he manifested to the comfort of Noah, and therefore we have Moses recording of it.

Secondly, There is the object matter of this promise, and that is two-fold, I will not curse the ground, neither will I smite any more every living thing, as I have done; God cursed the ground at first upon Adam's fall, but this is meant of the Deluge, as appeareth by the other particular, for by that general flood it is conceived the ground was made worse then before; The meaning then is, That God will not bring any more universal judgement, not but that particular Towns or Nations may be consumed by water or other punishments, but there shall not be such a general one by water any more, no, nor any general punishment; For what comfort would it have been to Noah, if that the world should be preserved only from drowning, if it might have been destroyed any other way; Therefore when at the Day of Judgement the whole world shall either be destroyed or renewed by fire, that will not be so much by way of punishment to the inhabitants, as to change its use, and to prepare for the great alteration, that God is then to make.