An answer to the discourse of Mr. William Sherlock, touching the knowledge of Christ,…

Dr. Jacomb assigns the difference between the Law of sin in the regenerate and in the unregenerate:¹ First, When the whole bent of the heart is towards sin, when the propensities are entire and unmixed, there it is the Law of sin in the unregenerate. But, saith the Author, is every one regenerate who hath some good propensities? Who hath some wouldings & velleities, to that which is good? Then there are few unregenerate Men in the World. To which I answer, The unregenerate may indeed have some wouldings and velleities to good, not of himself; for in his flesh (and such he is all over by Nature) there is no good, but from the common motions and operations of the Holy Spirit: Yet, notwithstanding these, the bent of his heart is to sin, the power of sin is habitual in him, which is all the intent and very expression of the Doctor in that place. Secondly, When all the faculties of the Soul are on sins side, when the understanding gives in its final positive dictate, that sin is good, represents it as eligible to the will, the will closes with it, the ⟨p. 543⟩affections run out upon it; there the case, saith the Doctor, is determined. But, saith the Author: Never such a Man was born, as to choose evil believing it to be good, to delight and rejoice in it, as good and eligible for it self. To which I answer, The Authors discourse runs upon this, as if the Doctor had asserted, that the understanding in the unregenerate did represent sin as good; that is, as conformable to the Law and Will of God, and so good. Hence the Author tells us: That the Devil, though a wicked Spirit, is no Fool; that the very Heathen know good to be good, and evil evil: But all this is besides the scope; the Doctor never said or meant so, when he saith, that the understanding dictates sin to be good: No Man, I presume, will interpret the words thus; the understanding dictates sin to be conformable to the Will of God, that is, sin to be no sin: No, the understanding knows sin to be sin, sin to be contrary to the Will of God; yet it represents sin as good in other respects, and so good as to cast the balance in the heart on sins side; it may be there are baits of profit or pleasure in it:

Dr. Jacomb assigns the difference between the Law of sin in the regenerate and in the unregenerate:¹