First, He that doth truly believe in this point, will quickly silence all those impatient, if not blasphemous complaints that are uttered by many against nature, because (as they say) it is such an hard step-mother to mankind, Non tam editi quum ejecti, said the Heathen. I call them blasphemous complaints, because what is spoken against Nature, redounds upon God the Author of Nature. Hence in the Scripture, what Nature doth, God is said to do. Now then, if we consider, what impatient expostulations the Heathens have made, why man of all creatures should be by Nature most miserable? No true answer could ever be given to satisfy, but this, because man comes sinful into the world: The young ones of beasts and birds, are not so miserable as our Infants, because not corrupted with evil in their Natures, as they are; So that if we see our very Infants, which yet (as the Scripture saith) cannot discern between the right hand and left, and have not done actual good or evil, subject to grievous diseases, and death it self: Wonder not at this, for they have in themselves through their native sinfulness, a desert not only of this pain, but eternal torments in hell. Hence it is that the Scripture instructs us in that which all Philosophy could never inform us, viz. the cause and original of all those diseases and pains, yea of death it self, which reigneth over all mankind: Insomuch that thereby we see, though there were not one actual sin in the world, though all men had no more sin upon them, then what they had in the womb, and in the cradle, yet there was demerit enough of that vengeance of God, which upon mans transgression was threatened in the Word, Gen. 6. 5. The main cause, why God brought that universal deluge upon the whole world, was not so much their actual wickedness, as such, but because it came from a polluted fountain, which would never be wholly cleansed. Their hearts were so many shops, wherein were constantly formed all manner of impieties; yea by this we see not only the miseries upon man, but all the bondage an vanity that is upon the whole world: That there are any barrenness, any famines, that the ground brings forth thorns and thistles, that the woman brings forth with so much labour and sorrow; all these things come by original sin; God did not at first create things in such disorder and confusion:
First, He that doth truly believe in this point, will quickly silence all those impatient, if not blasphemous complaints that are uttered by many against nature, because (as they say) it is such an hard step-mother to mankind, Non tam editi quum ejecti, said the Heathen. I call them blasphemous complaints, because what is spoken against Nature, redounds upon God the Author of Nature. Hence in the Scripture, what Nature doth, God is said to do. Now then, if we consider, what impatient expostulations the Heathens have made, why man of all creatures should be by Nature most miserable? No true answer could ever be given to satisfie, but this, because man comes sinfull into the world: The young ones of beasts and birds, are not so miserable as our Infants, because not corrupted with evil in their Natures, as they are; So that if we see our very Infants, which yet (as the Scripture saith) cannot discern between the right hand and left, and have not done actual good or evil, subject to grievous diseases, and death it self: Wonder not at this, for they have in themselves through their native sinfulness, a desert not only of this pain, but eternal torments in hell. Hence it is that the Scripture instructs us in that which all Philosophy could never inform us, viz. the cause and original of all those diseases and pains, yea of death it self, which reigneth over all mankind: Insomuch that thereby we see, though there were not one actual sinne in the world, though all men had no more sinne upon them, then what they had in the womb, and in the cradle, yet there was demerit enough of that vengeance of God, which upon mans transgression was threatned in the Word, Gen. 6. 5. The main cause, why God brought that universal deluge upon the whole world, was not so much their actual wickedness, as such, but because it came from a polluted fountain, which would never be wholly cleansed. Their hearts were so many shops, wherein were constantly formed all manner of impieties; yea by this we see not only the miseries upon man, but all the bondage an vanity that is upon the whole world: That there are any barrenness, any famines, that the ground brings forth thorns and thistles, that the woman brings forth with so much labour and forrow; all these things come by original sinne; God did not at first create things in such disorder and confusion:
