Vindiciae legis, or, A vindication of the moral law and the covenants, from the…Vindiciae legis, or, A vindication of the morall law and the covenants, from the…

The fifth Question is, Whether original sin can be found out by ¹the mere light of Nature? Or, Whether it is only a mere matter of faith that we are thus polluted? It is true, the learned Mornay labours to prove by natural reason our pollution, and showeth how many of the ancient Platonists do agree in this, That the soul is now vassalled to sense and affections, and that her wings are cut whereby she should soar up into heaven. And so Tully he saith, Cum primùm nascimur, in omni continuò pravitate versamur; much like that of the Scripture, The Imagination of the thoughts of a mans heart is only evil, and that continually: But Aristotle (of whom one said wickedly and falsely, that he was the same in Naturals, which Christ was in Supernaturals) he makes a man to be obrasa tabula, without sin or virtue; though indeed it doth incline ad meliora. Tully affirmeth also, that there are semina innata virtutum in us, only we overcome them presently: Thus also Seneca, Eras, si tecum nasci vitia putas, supervenerunt, ingesta sunt, as I said before. Here we see the wisest of the Philosophers speaking against it. Hence Julian, the Pelagian, heaped many sentences out of the chiefest Philosophers against any such corruption of nature. But Austin answered, It was not much matter what they said, seeing they were ignorant of these things. The truth is, by nature we may discover a great languishment and infirmity come upon us; but the true nature of this, and how it came about, can only be known by Scripture-light: Therefore the Apostle, Rom. 7. saith, he had not known lust to be sin, had not the Law said, Thou shalt not last.

The fifth Question is, Whether originall sin can be found out by ¹the meere light of Nature? Or, Whether it is onely a meere matter of faith that we are thus polluted? It is true, the learned Mornay labours to prove by naturall reason our pollution, and sheweth how many of the ancient Platonists doe agree in this, That the soule is now vassalled to sense and affections, and that her wings are cut whereby she should soare up into heaven. And so Tully he saith, Cum primùm nascimur, in omni continuò pravitate versamur; much like that of the Scripture, The Imagination of the thoughts of a mans heart is onely evil, and that continually: But Aristotle (of whom one said wickedly and falsly, that he was the same in Naturals, which Christ was in Supernaturals) he makes a man to be obrasa tabula, without sin or vertue; though indeed it doth incline ad meliora. Tully affirmeth also, that there are semina innata virtutum in us, onely we overcome them presently: Thus also Seneca, Erras, si tecum nasci vitia putas, supervenerunt, ingesta sunt, as I said before. Here we see the wisest of the Philosophers speaking against it. Hence Julian, the Pelagian, heaped many sentences out of the chiefest Philosophers against any such corruption of nature. But Austine answered, It was not much matter what they said, seeing they were ignorant of these things. The truth is, by nature we may discover a great languishment and infirmity come upon us; but the true nature of this, and how it came about, can only be known by Scripture-light: Therefore the Apostle,