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

This Chapter is the common seat and proper place, wherein the nature of original inherent sin is expressly handled; so that he who by reading of this Chapter shall not be convinced that there is such a thing as original sin, and that in some measure putting it self forth in the godly to their great grief and misery, I think we may say, he would not believe any such thing, though men should rise from the dead, and come and preach it to us. I shall in time (God willing) fully improve the chief matter herein contained; for herein is described that Christian conflict which is in all the godly between the regenerate and unregenerate part, as also the consequents thereof: For the present, I must take two Hypotheses, or Suppositions for granted, which in time (God willing) I shall fully prove.

THis Chapter is the common seat and proper place, wherein the nature of original inherent sinne is expresly handled; so that he who by reading of this Chapter shall not be convinced that there is such a thing as original sinne, and that in some measure putting it self forth in the godly to their great grief and misery, I think we may say, he would not believe any such thing, though men should rise from the dead, and come and preach it to us. I shall in time (God willing) fully improve the chief matter herein contained; for herein is described that Christian conflict which is in all the godly between the regenerate and unregenerate part, as also the consequents thereof: For the present, I must take two Hypotheses, or Suppositions for granted, which in time (God willing) I shall fully prove.

The first is, That the Apostle speaking of such a sharp combat within him between the Law of his mind, and the Law of sin, doth not assume the person of another, as of a carnal unregenerate man, or a Legalist convinced by the Doctrine of the Law, yet his heart carrying him in the clean contrary way, but speak it of his own Person, and that as regenerated. The former way go the Arminians, and some Papists, and all Socinians, but the later way generally go the Protestants, even as Austin of old, retracting the former opinion he once had; yea the best and choicest Commentators of the Papists, Salmeron, Pererius, Estius and Lapide, &c. do adhere to this Exposition. So that you must not think, that the combat here spoken of, is like that which Aristotle describes his incontinent person by, that doth like videre and Probare meliora, but deteriora sequi, which is only a fight between an enlightened conscience, and a corrupt heart. Nor