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

but though without the aid of supernaturals he cannot obtain the kingdom of heaven, yet by these pure naturals he is free in his birth from any sinful pollution, saith the known Adversary to this truth. Thus he that calleth original sin a meer non ens, he layeth the foundation of his Discourse upon a meer non entity; Now if you ask what cometh to man by these mere naturals, he will answer death, Yea that which is remarkable, is the long Catalogue of many sad imperfections containing three or four Pages that is brought in by him, (Unum Necessar. cap. 6. Sect. 7.) a great part whereof he saith is our natural impotency, and the other brought in by our own folly; As for that which is our natural impotency, man being thereby in body and soul so imperfect, it is (he saith) as if a man should describe the condition of a Mole, or a Bat; concerning whose imperfections no other cause is to be enquired of, but the Will of God, who giveth his gifts as he pleaseth, and is unjust to no man, by giving or not giving any certain proportion of good things. To the same purpose he speaketh also in another place, (further explicat. pag. 475.) Adam's sin left us in pure naturals, disrobed of such aides extraordinary as Adam had: But certainly there are few Readers, who shall consider what is by him made to be the natural impotency of man in soul and body; but must conclude he is most injurious to the goodness, wisdom, and justice of God, in making man of such miserable pure naturals; yea that it is a position worse then Manicheism; for the Manichees seeing such evils upon mankind, attributed them to some evil principle: but this man layeth all upon the good and most holy God; It is Gods will alone, not mans inherent corruption, that exposeth him to so many unspeakable imperfections. It is well observed by Jansenius, who hath one Book only de statu purae nature, opposing the Jesuits and old Schoolmen in their figment upon a state of mere naturals, that this opinion was brought into the Church of God, out of Aristotle, and that it is the principles of his Philosophy, which have thus obscured the true Doctrine of original sin. I shall briefly lay down some Arguments against any such supposed condition of mere nature; from whence they say we have ignorance in the mind, rebellion against the Spirit, and also death it self, but without sin. And

but though without the aid of supernaturals he cannot obtain the kingome of heaven, yet by these pure naturals he is free in his birth from any sinful pollution, saith the known Adversary to this truth. Thus he that calleth original sinne a meer non ens, he layeth the foundation of his Discourse upon a meer non entity; Now if you ask what cometh to man by these meer naturals, he will answer death, Yea that which is remarkable, is the long Catalogue of many sad imperfections containing three or four Pages that is brought in by him, (Vnum Necessar. cap. 6. Sect. 7.) a great part whereof he saith is our natural impotency, and the other brought in by our own folly; As for that which is our natural impotency, man being thereby in body and soul so imperfect, it is (he saith) as if a man should describe the condition of a Mole, or a Bat; concerning whose imperfections no other cause is to be enquired of, but the Will of God, who giveth his gifts as he pleaseth, and is unjust to no man, by giving or not giving any certain proportion of good things. To the same purpose he speaketh also in another place, (further explicat. pag. 475.) Adam's sinne left us in pure naturals, disrobed of such aides extraordinary as Adam had: But certainly there are few Readers, who shall consider what is by him made to be the natural impotency of man in soul and body; but must conclude he is most injurious to the goodness, wisdomè, and justice of God, in making man of such miserable pure naturals; yea that it is a position worse then Manicheisme; for the Manichees seeing such evils upon mankind, attributed them to some evil principle: but this man layeth all upon the good and most holy God; It is Gods will alone, not mans inherent corruption, that exposeth him to so many unspeakable imperfections. It is well observed by Jansenius, who hath one Book only de statu purae nature, opposing the Jesuites and old Schoolmen in their sigment upon a state of meer naturals, that this opinion was brought into the Church of God, out of Aristotle, and that it is the principles of his Philosophy, which have thus obscured the true Doctrine of original sinne. I shall breifly lay down some Arguments against any such supposed condition of meer nature; from whence they say we have ignorance in the mind, rebellion against the Spirit, and also death it self, but without sinne. And