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

SECT. I.

WE are discovering the Nature of that Image God created us in at first, that so we may see how great our loss is.

WE are discovering the Nature of that Image God created us in at first, that so we may see how great our losse is.

The last particular was, The naturality and supernaturality of it in divers respects: And this is the more to be observed, because while the Orthodox oppose the Socinians, who affirm, Nothing but a natural and simple innocency in Adam, without any infused or concreated habits of holiness, or any thing supernatural in him; You would think they join with the Papists, who dogmatize, That all the holiness Adam had was supernatural. Again, while the same Orthodox oppose Papists, because of this opinion, one would think they joined with the Socinians, who say, Adam had nothing in him, but what was natural, whereas the truth consists between these; and therefore original righteousness was supernatural to Adam; if you respect the principle from whence it did flow, it was immediately from God, not from principles of nature, and this opposeth the Socinian; yet if you do consider Adam the subject of this righteousness, and the end for which he was created, so it was a perfection due to him, and in that respect called natural, otherwise had not God invested mans nature with this and concreated this perfection with him, the noblest of visible creatures had been dealt worst with.

The last particular was, The naturality and supernaturality of it in divers respects: And this is the more to be observed, because while the Orthodox oppose the Socinians, who affirm, Nothing but a natural and simple innocency in Adam, without any infused or concreated habits of holinesse, or any thing supernatural in him; You would think they joyn with the Papists, who dogmatize, That all the holinesse Adam had was supernatural. Again, while the same Orthodox oppose Papists, because of this opinion, one would think they joyned with the Socinians, who say, Adam had nothing in him, but what was natural, whereas the truth consists between these; and therefore original righteousnesse was supernatural to Adam; if you respect the principle from whence it did flow, it was immediately from God, not from principles of nature, and this opposeth the Socinian; yet if you do consider Adam the subject of this righteousnesse, and the end for which he was created, so it was a perfection due to him, and in that respect called natural, otherwise had not God invested mans nature with this and concreated this perfection with him, the noblest of visible creatures had been dealt worst with.