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

In the third place, To understand the nature of that Image of God, man was created in, you must take heed of the Socinian Position, who say, God made man merely an innocent, even as a young child, that he had not in his creation any holiness infused into him, but he was in a neutral and indifferent disposition, to be actually good or wicked, as his free-will did determine. But this is to diminish the goodness of God who made man in such a distinguishing character to all other creatures, except Angels, for Angels and men they only were created after the Image of God; That Adam was not created in such a negative frame of soul, appeareth, in that the Image of God is expressly said by Paul to consist in righteousness and true holiness; Now righteousness is more than a not being evil, it denoteth an inherent positive perfection in the soul; Hence Eccl 7. 30 God is there said, To make man righteous; The word Jashar is generally used to signify as much as holy, clean and pure. It is not therefore for us to contradict so plain Texts of Scripture; Hence the Psalmist, Psal. 8. 5. doth admire the goodness of God, and his works to man, especially in this, That he hath made him but a little lower than Angels: Oh then admire that glorious excellency God did at first put us into! We were at first made but a little lower than those glorious Angels of God; Therefore Chrysostom called Adam an earthly Angel; Now compare thy present estate with this of Adams; Art thou like an Angel? Have Angels such blindness of mind, such averseness to what is good, such rebellious and unmortified thoughts in them, as thou hast? Nay, Art thou not rather a Devil for pride, for malice, for opposition to what is good? Was it thus with us from the beginning? They therefore do most unthankfully rob God of all that glory and honour which is due to him that will affirm, That God made him in such an indifferent neutral state, neither righteous or unrighteous: Surely then God could not have looked upon all the things that were made with that approbation, They were exceeding god; For though other creatures might be good in their kind with a natural goodness, yet Adam was in his kind with a moral goodness: Neither will the Socinian evasion help, That by good there is meant convenient, beautiful and proper for its end:

In the third place, To understand the nature of that Image of God, man was created in, you must take heed of the Socinian Position, who say, God made man meerly an innocent, even as a young child, that he had not in his creation any holinesse infused into him, but he was in a neutral and indifferent disposition, to be actually good or wicked, as his free-will did determine. But this is to diminish the goodnesse of God who made man in such a distinguishing character to all other creatures, except Angels, for Angels and men they only were created after the Image of God; That Adam was not created in such a negative frame of soul, appeareth, in that the Image of God is expresly said by Paul to consist in righteousnesse and true holinesse; Now righteousnesse is more than a not being evil, it denoteth an inherent positive perfection in the soul; Hence Eccl 7. 30 God is there said, To make man righteous; The word Jashar is generally used to signifie as much as holy, clean and pure. It is not therefore for us to contradict so plain Texts of Scripture; Hence the Psalmist,