The true doctrine of justification asserted and vindicated, from the errors of Papists, Arminians,…The true doctrine of justification asserted and vindicated, from the errours of Papists, Arminians,…

But in the second place, we may according to Scripture, say, not only in Adams sin, but in every sin we commit there is a blot and stain made upon the soul, Matth. 15.20. These things that come from the heart defile a man, Ephes. 5.27. Sin is compared to a spot and wrinkle. So Rom. 3.12. All by nature are said to become unprofitable. The Hebrew word in the Psalm, out of which this is taken, signifieth corruption or putrefaction, for such sin is to the soul, not that you may conceive that the essence of the soul is naturally corrupted by sin, as rust doth the iron, and moths the garment; but in a moral sense, by sin the soul in its faculties is disenabled from doing its duty. Thus the Apostle calls sins dead works, Heb▪ 9.14. not in that sense, as if they did bring death to a man, for that the Apostle expresseth otherwise, killing us, when he speaks of the Law; but he calls them dead works, because they defile man, as dead carcasses in the old Testament: For the Apostle, vers. 1. spake of cleansing by the blood of an heifer, which was to be used when a man had touched any dead thing, which made him legally unclean. Thus (saith he) Christs blood will cleanse from sin that contaminateth a man. Neither is it necessary that grace must really have been in the soul before, and then sin by depriving the soul of it, so to stain it: for its enough that the soul ought to have grace in it, though it were not present before: as when a man doth not believe Gods Word, though this unbelief do not deprive him of the beauty and grace of faith, which he had, yet it doth of that beauty of faith, which he ought to have.¹ And thus as particular actual sins are multiplied: so are particular stains and defilements also increased; we therefore must grant a stain by sin, though this be not that which is removed by remission. Therefore that which continueth a man a sinner in Gods account, and is to be removed by remission, is that obligation to eternal wrath appointed by God; for as soon as a man hath sinned, there doth accrue to God a moral right (as we may speak with reverence) and power, being a Judge, as thereby he may inflict vengeance upon a sinner; and in this respect sin is called an offence, because it doth provoke him, who is a just Judge, unto anger and vengeance.