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

Arg. 1. The first is grounded upon a rule in reason, That every subject capable of two immediate contraries, must necessarily have one, or the other. A man must either be sick or well, either alive or dead, there is no middle estate between them; thus it is with man, he must either be holy or sinful, he must either be in a state of grace, or a state of iniquity: The Scripture giveth not the least hint of any such pure naturals. Indeed a man may in a metaphysical manner have abstracted thoughts of man, neither considering him as good or evil: in which sense it is disputed between Junius and Arminius, whether man in his mere naturals, or in a common consideration, as man, neither looked upon as good or evil, be the object of predestination: but if we speak of existency, then there never was, or will be a man, but either must be a good tree or bad: for in such a susceptive subject, one of the immediate contraries must needs inexist.

Arg. 1. The first is grounded upon a rule in reason, That every subject capable of two immediate contraries, must necessarily have one, or the other. A man must either be sick or well, either alive or dead, there is no middle estate between them; thus it is with man, he must either be holy or sinful, he must either be in a state of grace, or a state of iniquity: The Scripture giveth not the least hint of any such pure naturals. Indeed a man may in a metaphysical manner have abstracted thoughts of man, neither considering him as good or evil: in which sense it is disputed between Junius and Arminius, whether man in his meer naturals, or in a common consideration, as man, neither looked upon as good or evil, be the object of predestination: but if we speak of existency, then there never was, or will be a man, but either must be a good tree or bad: for in such a susceptive subject, one of the immediate contraryes must needs inexist.

Secondly, The Scripture speaketh of mans condition since Adam's fall, as a state of privation not negation; When David confessed he was born in sin, Credo (saith learned Davenant on Col. cap. 2. 2.) hac verba non ferent commentum Jesuiticum, in purr is naturalibus conceptus sum, &c. for the Word of God describeth us as blinded in our mind, that we are dead in sin, that we have a stony heart: all which argue that we have only impure naturals.