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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	adam_n	law_n	moral_a	4,944	5	10.5377	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09434	A godlie and learned exposition upon the whole epistle of Iude, containing threescore and sixe sermons preached in Cambridge by that reverend and faithfull man of God, Master William Perkins, and now at the request of his executors, published by Thomas Taylor, preacher of Gods word ; whereunto is prefixed a large analysis, containing the summe and order of the whole booke, according to the authors owne method, to which are further added, foure briefe tables to direct the reader ...	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.; Taylor, Thomas.	1606 (1606)	STC 19724.3; ESTC S100865	274,393	200

who hold an absolute God out of the persons Thirdly our common people who pray to such a God in their owne names out of the Sonne and holie Ghost Fourthly the Popish Church which denieth by their doctrine the three persons for hee that denieth the Sonne denieth the Father and holy Ghost 1. Ioh. 2.23 Now they denie the Sonne both in his natures abolishing his Manhood in their doctrine of the Sacrament as also his offices of King Priest and Prophet for which we must vtterly separate from them The sixth ground is That nothing commeth to passe without the special decree will and prouidence of God Matth. 10.23 A sparrow falleth not to the ground without his will Ob. Sinne is against Gods will and therefore commeth to passe without his will Ans. That which is against the will of God is not without his will Quest. How can this be Ans. No sinne commeth to passe but God decreeth the permitting and being of it now to permit sinne and the being of it is neither the causing of sinne nor the doing of it but the not hindring of it to which he is not bound This ground being denied chance will be brought in and God himselfe denied The seuenth ground is That God hath chosen some men before the world was to be partakers of the riches of his mercies and passed by others because it was his will Roman 9.18 He will haue mercie on whom he will Ephes. 1.4 1. Pet. 2.9 Some are a chosen generation and therfore some are not chosen Againe whom he will he hardeneth he hideth the mysteries of the kingdome from some why because his pleasure was such Matth. 11.25 And of this there is good reason for in nature the first cause ordereth the second causes and not the second the first Now Gods will is cause of all causes which therefore must rule all as the supreme and not be ruled by any other That this is a ground appeareth 2. Tim. 2.19 The foundation of God remaineth sure the Lord knoweth who are his and indeede none other can bee the ground of grace and happines vnto vs than the counsaile of God in electing vs called therefore of the Apostle a foundation Aduersaries hereof First our common people that thus abuse this doctrine If I be chosen to saluation I shall be saued therefore I may liue as I list They might as well reason thus The tearme of my life is stinted none can lengthen or shorten it I will therefore neither eate nor drink nor vse Physicke nor other meanes of prolonging my daies which what were it else but to murther the bodie So these from the same ground become murtherers of their soules whereas men chosen to the end will prease after the meanes and conclude otherwise and say I will vse meanes that I may come to life Secondly others more learned are aduersaries to this ground who teach that God for his part hath chosen all men to life and for his part would haue all saued and that Christ for his part hath redeemed all and the holy Ghost giueth or offereth grace to all If wee aske why then are not all saued They answere because God foresawe those who would beleeue whom hee appointed to saluation he foresaw also others who would not beleeue and adiudged them to damnation But by this doctrine shall Gods will hang on the will of man and bee ruled by it seeing hee would haue men saued but man will not and so this ground is in part rased The eighth ground is That God made the heauens and the earth and all things that haue being in them Col. 1.16 By him were created all things which are in heauen and in earth This is a principle for if creatures had no beginning then are they become Gods which would ouerthrow the Godhead But all things were not made besides God For the highest heauen the Throne of God is eternall as God himselfe is Ans. The Throne of God is a creature as well as the rest Heb. 11.10 He looked for a citie hauing a foundation whose builder and maker is God In the world are many euils which could not be from God the foundation of all goodnesse Ans. Euill is of three sorts first naturall which commeth by nature corrupted as sicknes diseases plagues and death it selfe Secondly materiall euils as hurtfull beasts poisons in trees plants beasts these are created and the very poison of them is a creature Thirdly morali euils which be trāsgressions against the Morall law and Commandement of God Of the two former God is the author and cause Esai 45.7 I create euill that is naturall and materiall but of the third that is morall euils which be sinne God is no cause Ob. But God is the cause of all things and sinne is some thing Ans. Sin is no creature but the destruction of Gods image which is a creature effected by the creature for though the creature cannot make a creature yet it can destroy a creature The aduersarie to this ground is the Atheist who holdeth the creatures to haue been from euerlasting and so by denying one God hee maketh manie thousands The 9. ground is that God made man according to his owne image Gen. 1.27 For by creation man had three things first the substance of bodie and soule Secondly in them the powers and faculties of minde will affections c. Thirdly an excellent conformitie of all these to the will of God This is the image of God called in the Scripture righteousnes and holinesse This is a ground for the image of God is the substance and body of the law hee therefore that denieth this denieth the law the fall from it and restoring vnto it by Christ. The 10. ground is that by Adam sinne and death entred into the world and in him all meere men sinned Rom. 5.12 To the conceauing of which wee must know that the first sinne of Adam was eating the forbidden fruite the next was the putting out of Gods image in stead of which corruption of heart tooke place so farre as the seede of all sinne being within him he was prone and readie to euery sinne Now Adam being a publike person and hauing receiued whatsoeuer hee had for himselfe and his posteritie either to hold for or lose from both hence is it that both those sinnes are become the two first sinnes in our conception he sinning wee sinned and with him haue the seeds of all sin within vs by nature no sinne excepted no not the sinne against the holy Ghost Yea no otherwise is it with vs than with a noble man practising treason whose whole blood is therby stained Ob. But Christ came of Adam therefore he in Adam sinned Ans. God made this law with Adam that all who came of him by ordinarie generation should be guiltie of his sinne but Christ was extraordinarily conceiued by the holy Ghost and took of Mary Adams

nature but not Adams sinne Againe Christ came of Adam but from him as a beginning and not by him as by a father whereas all other men are both from Adam and by him This is a maine ground of our religion without which there could bee no redemption Aduersaries hereof are First our common people who say they euer kept Gods law and loued him with al their heart and their neighbours as themselues and thinke hence all is well but were it so as they dreame they had neuer fallen in Adam and so Adams sin had not gone ouer all men Secondly the Popish Church first in teaching that the Virgin Mary who came of Adam by ordinary generation was conceiued without sinne notwithstanding she was saued not by her bearing of Christ in her wombe but by beleeuing on him with her heart Secondly in that they teach that men are not wholy dead in sinne but in part or halfe dead yea that being a little holpen they can keepe the law as though by sinne men had not been wholy depriued of the glorie of God The 11. ground is that the Law and Gospell are two parts of the word of God and are diuers kindes of doctrine By the law I vnderstand that part of Gods word which promiseth life to the obeyer By the Gospell that part which promiseth it to the beleeuer These I say are diuers kindes of doctrine to the cleering of which consider first their consent and agreement Secondly their dissent and difference First the Law and Gospell consent first in the Author of both which is God Secondly in their generall matter for both require iustice and righteousnesse to saluation Thirdly in their end namely the glorie of God Secondly they dissent in sixe things First the Morall law is written in nature by creation yea and since the fall we haue some remainder of it in vs. Rom. 2.15 The Gentiles shew the effect of the law written in their hearts but the Gospell is not in nature but aboue the reach of nature created much more corrupted The ground of the law is the image of God but the ground of the Gospell is Iesus Christ. Secondly the Law will haue vs doe something that we may be saued by it and that is to fulfill it The Gospel requireth no doing of vs but onely beleeuing in Christ. Ob. But beleeuing is a worke to be done Ans. The Gospell requireth it not as a worke but as it is an instrument and the hand of the soule to lay hold vpon Christ Rom. 4.5 and 3.21 and 10.5 Hence is it that the Law requireth righteousnes inherent but the Gospell imputed Thirdly the Law is propounded to the vnrepentant sinner to bring him to faith but the Gospell to the beleeuer to the begetting and increase of faith Fourthly the Law sheweth sinne accuseth and reuealeth iustice without mercie but the Gospell couereth sinne and is a qualification of the rigour of the Law The Law saith Cursed is euery one c. The Gospell qualifieth that and saith Except he beleeue and repent euery man is accursed Thus the Law which onely manifesteth iustice is moderated by the Gospell which mingleth mercie and iustice together iustice vpon Christ mercie vnto vs. Fiftly the law telleth vs what good workes must bee done the Gospell how they must bee done the former declareth the matter of our obedience the latter directeth vs in the manner of obeying the former is pleased with nothing but the deede the latter signifieth that God is pleased to accept the will and vnfained endeuor for the deede it selfe Sixtly the Law is no worker of grace and saluation no not instrumentally for it is the ministerie of death the Gospell preached worketh grace onely though the Law may be a hammer to breake the heart and prepare the way to faith and repentance Aduersaries hereof are The Papists who hold that they are one doctrine only but herein differing that the Law is more darke the Gospell more plaine the former more hard to fulfill the latter more easie that is as the roote of a tree this as the bodie branches by which premises they would conclude Christ to be no Sauiour but an instrumēt rather for vs to saue our selues by he giuing vs grace to keepe the Law for a sinner must needes bee saued by works if there be no difference between the Law and the Gospell and if the Law which requireth workes were not moderated by the Gospel which requireth not workes but faith The 12. ground is The word was made flesh Ioh. 1.14 This is a maine ground as in 1. Ioh. 4.3 Euery spirit that doth not confesse that Christ is come in the flesh that is euery doctrine in which Christ is denied to be come in the flesh is not of God but of Antichrist Now by word I vnderstand the eternall sonne of God the second person in Trinitie the very substantiall word of the Father It is added was made not as though the sonne of God was turned into flesh and ceased to bee Gods sonne but as Heb. 2.16 in that he tooke not the seede of Angels but of Abraham The meaning then is that the Sonne of God abiding still the word tooke that is receiued into his person our nature Phil. 2.7 He tooke vpon him the forme of a seruant The word flesh signifieth first mans nature which Christ tooke vnto him namely a true nature of man not phantasticall or apparant onely Secondly the whole nature of man consisting of true and perfect soule and bodie with all things that belong to the entire nature of man for if he had taken mans nature only in part he had redeemed it but in part Thirdly the properties of man in soule minde will affections in body breadth length circumscription c. Fourthly the infirmities and frailties of mans nature without sin where must be noted that Christ tooke not all infirmities of mans nature as sin and corruption neither euery personall infirmitie of euery person as blindnes Gowte or this and that particular disease Here by the way it may be asked whether Christ had obliuion in his agonie as some haue thought To which may be answered That euen whē he vttered those words Father if it be thy will let this cup c. it is not fit to attribute obliuion vnto him which properly is a forgetfulnes of those things which we are bound to remember for thus wee should draw sinne vpon him but rather to ascribe it to suspending of the memorie which is when a man neither forgetteth nor remembreth For as in the will be three things 1. willing 2. nilling 3. suspending of the will which is neither of the former so also is it in memorie which remembreth forgetteth and suspendeth memorie for a time Now the summe of the whole ground is That the Sonne of God the second person and so abiding tooke vnto him the perfect nature of man in all things being like vnto vs sinne onely

of God which if we want we must labour for thē and if wee haue them be thankfull vnto God for them 2. Vse Learne the dutie laid downe by the Apostle Ephes. 4.1 that we should walke worthie of our calling To doe which first we must looke that we frame our liues holily being holy in our whole conuersation as he that hath called vs is holie Secondly there must be the same end of our liues which is of Gods calling that is to bring vs to heauen The end of our being in the world is to be called out of the world and as Abraham to obey God as looking for a citie in heauen not made with hands Now we proceede to the second step of life eternall which is sanctification this name is taken from the Latins and by it is vnderstood Regeneration renouation new creation and to be sanctified is to be made holie and be borne anew That wee the better know this grace consider sundrie points First what sanctification is It is an inward change of a man iustified whereby the image of God is restored in him For the opening of which description marke that first I call it a change of a man to put a difference betweene it and ciuill conuersation which is a gift of God likewise as this is but farre different from it because this onely restraineth the corruption of the heart whereas sanctification reneweth the heart and thus the gifts of God are of two sorts first restraining which doe keepe in the wickednes of the heart such as are all ciuill vertues Secondly renuing or altering the minde which not only represseth but abolisheth corruption of this kinde is sanctification Secondly I call it an inward change namely in the minde will affections as working vpon the inward corruptions and lusts of the heart to distinguish it from outward sanctification which a wicked man may haue whereby he reformeth his outward man and cariage by the ministerie of the word such are they whom the Apostle speakes of Heb. 10.27 which tread vnder their feet● the blood of Christ whereby they were sanctified namely externally this is of another kinde working the inward change of the heart Thirdly I adde of a man iustified for two causes first to shew that iustification and sanctification are two diuers gifts of God and their difference may appeare in three things first in that iustification is out of a man sanctification is within him Secondly iustification absolues a sinner and makes him stand righteous at the barre of Gods iudgement sanctification cannot doe this Thirdly iustification brings peace of conscience so doth not sanctification but followeth that peace Thus the Apostle hath them distinct 1. Cor. 6.11 Ye are washed ye are iustified and sanctified as also 1. Cor. 1.30 Christ is made to vs righteousnes and sanctification Secondly because iustification goes with sanctification though iustification be before in nature yet they are wrought at the same time For when God accepts a mans person then is hee made iust who is also sanctified Fourthly I say the image of God is hereby restored the which that we may know wherein it consisteth consider the three-folde estate of man the first of innocencie the second after the fall and the third vnder Christ. First in innocencie man had three things first substance of bodie soule secondly the faculties of soule as reason and vnderstanding thirdly the image of God standing in the conformitie of the whole man to the will of God Secondly in the state after the fall man hath two of these first substance of bodie and soule secondly faculties as before But the third is wanting standing in righteousnesse and holinesse and in stead of it is found in euery man original sinne which distempereth and disordereth the whole man his minde will and affections and carrieth him against the will of God In the third condition vnder Christ wee haue three things first substance of bodie and soule secondly faculties of the reasonable soule thirdly a new created holines and righteousnesse before lost but now restored by grace aboue nature and this is a renewed conformitie to the will of God and the image of God againe restored Where note that sanctification is such a gift of God as changeth the man not the substance of the bodie or the faculties of the soule but the corruption disorder and sinfulnes of man it rectifieth but abolisheth not affections if a man be of sad disposition it neither increaseth nor taketh away but moderates his sorrow and keepes it in order so if a man bee of a merrie disposition it depriues him not of his mirth but corrects it that it exceede not so in Choler and other complexions Then those that feare to labour in their sanctification because then they must be solitarie sad and cannot be merrie and those that thus obiect against those who endeuour ouer their owne reformation may see themselues deceiued seeing it onely tempereth the affections to such moderation as becommeth holines The second point is Whence haue we our sanctification whether from our parents or from what originall No it cannot flow from the parents no although they be holy Iob. 1.13 the new birth is not of blood nor the will of flesh nor of man for parents must bee considered two waies first as they are men children of Adam Thus they bring their children and conuey no more to their children than Adam did which is nature together with the corruption of it Holy parents haue no sinne for it is mortified in them therefore they cannot deriue it to their children Notwithstanding their sanctification they conuey the nature and sinne of Adam which comes thus to passe God in the beginning gaue this law that whatsoeuer Adam receiued he should receiue it for himselfe and his posteritie and whatsoeuer he lost he should lose from himselfe and all his posteritie by vertue of which law parents sanctified bring foorth children vnsanctified which may appeare by this cōparison Take wheate make it as cleane as you can sow it and it will come vp not as it was sowen but in stalke blade and eare and it brings vp as much chaffe as euer it did though none were sowen with it what is the reason hereof but onely the order set in nature by God at the first So parents let them be neuer so holie by vertue of the former lawe bring foorth vnholie children Secondly parents must be considered as holy men sonnes of the second Adam by a second birth and thus they produce not their children nor deriue their holines into them although their holinesse may be a meanes to bring them within the Couenant Whence note that the soule of the child is not deriued frō the soule of the father as the body is frō his body for then shuld they haue the same properties with the soule of the parents so euery regenerate man should deriue a regenerate soule vnto the infant which is false

three things first the Magistracie hath a power in it selfe whereby the Ciuill Magistrate may commaund in his own name The Ministrie hath power onely to pronounce what God commandeth and that in his name Secondly the authoritie of the Ciuill Magistrate is in himselfe the authoritie of the Minister not in himselfe but in Christ so as the Ciuill Magistrate may command obedience to himselfe but the Minister commandeth it to God Thirdly the Ciuill gouernment hath an absolute power to compell and enforce the outward man but the Ministrie hath power only to counsell perswade exhort Secondly this power of the Sword is added to distinguish it from all priuate power as in Schooles families which haue a power of commanding but not of the Sword Lastly I adde for the common good of mankind Rom. 13.4 The Magistrate is the minister of God for thy wealth that is procuring the welfare of soule and body which standeth in two things first true Religion secondly ciuill iustice both which are by Magistracie maintained It may be here demanded 〈…〉 Church appeareth in that the 〈…〉 preparation and performance of the same 2. Chron. 35. and 〈…〉 here two differences in this authoritie must be marked First that ciuill 〈◊〉 doth not after the same 〈◊〉 order causes ecclesiasticall as 〈…〉 in ciuill causes is ord●●th all and 〈◊〉 all likewise but in ecclesiasticall it hath power to order all but not 〈◊〉 execute them The Magistrate indeed ordereth and prescribeth in all but the Minister is ●e that executeth in ecclesiasticall causes Secondly that ciuill authoritie hath power ouer all the things of men but not ouer the things of 〈◊〉 as the Wo●d and Sacrament● faith conscience the graces of God in 〈◊〉 Ci●ill power hath no rule ouer these concerning which Christ comm●nded to giue vnto God the things of God and vnto Caesar Caesars Secondly this authoritie extendeth it selfe to all persons as well Ecclesiasticall as Ciuill but so as it stretcheth onely vnto the 〈◊〉 man to the bodie life 〈◊〉 and outward things but not to the soule and conscience of which God is the onely Lord and gouernour 〈…〉 asked what are the kinds of this power I answere it is of three sort● first in one person man or woman which is a Monarchie secondly in moe when the gouernment is in a few states and 〈◊〉 thirdly in the bodie of the people which is a popular gouernment by one of these three is euery Common-wealth gouerned These are the Gouernment● despised by these seducers The second point followeth 〈◊〉 vpon what grounds they despised gouernment Ans. Their grounds may be knowne by the Heretikes of th●● time the Anabaptists who are giuen vp to the same 〈◊〉 and they 〈◊〉 be 〈◊〉 to these foure heads First subiection say they came in with sinne and therefore Christ hauing taken away sinne hath taken away subiection also The former part they prooue out of Gen. 1.26 Man in innocencie was to rule ouer the fish of the sea the fowles of heauen ouer the beasts the earth and all creeping things but not ouer man but after the fall Eue is put vnder subiection to Adam Genes 3. Ans. There bee two kindes of subiection the first Seruile the second Ciuill The former is the subiection of a slaue or vassall who is onely to seeke the proper good of his Lord and Master The latter whereby one man is subiect to another for the common good The former came in by sinne the latter was before sinne in innocencie Eue was subiect to Adam in innocencie thus the Apostle reasoneth 1. Tim. 2.12 Let the woman be subiect to the man for she was taken out of the man Againe in innocencie it was said Increase and multiplie and therefore in the light of nature is a plaine distinction betweene the father and sonne and an inequalitie The first place is misalleaged Genes ● 26 because it was spoken not of man alone but of all mankinde euen women as well as men who haue also dominion giuen ouer the vnreasonable creatures As for the second place Gen. 3.15 He shall rule and thou shalt be subiect It is not spoken because the ordinance of God simply considered in it selfe was not before the fall but because now the subiection was ioyned with feare griefe and sorrow which it wanted in innocencie for then it was a pleasure and this makes subiection a curse in some respect but is not so no not since the fall in it selfe considered Secondly they reason thus Euery beleeuer is in the kingdom of heauen euen in this life Now in heauen there is no King but God and therefore no beleeuer is to bee subiect to any but God and Christ. Ans. There bee two kindes of gouernments vpon earth one is spirituall and inward this is the kingdome of heauen and of Christ within man standing in peace of conscience and ioy in the holy Ghost in regard of which regiment of Christ there is no distinction of persons no difference of bond or free Master seruant father sonne but all are one in Christ. The other is a ciuill regiment wherein orders and distinctions of men must be maintained as some must bee Princes some subiects some fathers some children some Masters some seruants Whence it is that euery man susteines vpon him two persons and is to be considered first as a beleeuer and as a member of the kingdome of Christ thus is he equall to any beleeuer and any beleeuer equall to him Secondly as a member of the Common-wealth wherein he liueth thus he is either a superiour or inferiour Their reason were somewhat if euery beleeuer were onely in the kingdome of heauen but euery of them liuing here in earth is also a member of some Common-wealth Thirdly Ciuill gouernment is full of crueltie which hauing the power of the sword destroyeth the bodies and soules of offenders in not giuing them time of repentance and therefore is intolerable among Christians Ans. Moses and the Leuites by Gods commandement flew 3000. of the Israelites for worshipping their golden Calfe and neuer gaue them space to repent Secondly the malefactor that is not moued to repentance at the sentence of present death there is little hope that euer hee would repent after if hee had longer time Thirdly Gods wisedome and commaundement must take place of mans reason he commaundeth that the Malefactor should die and thereby that the euill be taken away better it is that one should bee destroied than an vnitie better that one bee remoued than a multitude by the contagion of his example infected Fourthly they plead liberty by some places and testimonies of Scripture Gal. 5.1 Stand fast in the libertie wherein Christ hath set you free Ans. The libertie which Christ hath procured vs is libertie of conscience freedome from the power of sin Satan death hell and condemnation and therefore spirituall but not from temporall and ciuill subiection Ob. Rom. 13.8 Owe nothing to any man but

two things first who is a naturall man secondly that it is a sinne to be a naturall man for it is noted as a maine sinne in these seducers Touching the former a naturall man is he who liuing a naturall life is endued with a reasonable soule and is gouerned by nature reason and sense onely without grace or the spirit of God which may appeare first by the word naturall which signifieth such a man as in whom the best thing is nature and in whom there is nothing more excellent than his reasonable soule though corrupted Secondly by the exposition or rather opposition in the words wherein it is opposed vnto the spirit who is wanting vnto such a one to leade him in the way of a heauenly life Further that yet wee may know this matter the better there be three things to be found in a naturall man 1. He hath a bodie and soule vnited together in one person 2. In his soule he hath excellent powers and faculties as will vnderstanding affections 3. Hee hath all the ornaments of man yet so as without grace such as are strength of bodie and minde memorie knowledge of Arts and Sciences ciuill policie and vertues as Iustice Prudence Temperance discretion to discerne what is meete to bee done what not these are ornaments incident to corrupt nature seruing not to abolish but to restraine and bridle corruption and containe men in order for the preseruation of humane societie Now he that hath these three and nothing else is but a meere naturall man The second point is that it is a sin to be a naturall man Here it may bee asked how it commeth to passe that a naturall man because he is a naturall man offendeth God Ans. There bee two things in euery naturall man to bee distinguished first there is nature secondly the corruption of nature the former is from God the latter from mans fall which two may be indeede distinguished but cannot now be separated the one is not the other but the one is not without the other this corruption is that sinne which presseth vs down and hangeth so fast on Heb. 12.1 which hath corrupted the whole mā so as the whole frame of man that is his whole disposition and inclination is corrupted and euill from his youth Genes 8.21 his wisedome is enmitie to God that is euen the best thing that is or can be in the flesh is hateful to God Rom. 8.5 himselfe is dead in sinnes and trespasses Ephes. 2.1 hauing no more abilitie to mooue to any thing truly good than hath a dead man to bestirre himself in and about the actions of life For the cleerer beholding of this corruption of mans nature marke that there bee two degrees of it the former whereof is a want of that goodnes and righteousnes which at first was and now ought to be found in our nature The latter is a pronenesse and disposition vnto all euill which carrieth the heart on euery occasion thereunto this corruption must bee conceiued as an ocean sea sending out into euery channell and veine of the soule and whole man streames and floods of wickednes for looke into the principall powers of the soule ye shall neede to goe no further for the finding of this truth For first in the minde is such an impotencie as whereby it is vnable to thinke or approoue of any thing that is truly good 2. Corin. 3.5 Wee are not sufficient of our selues to thinke of any good but all our sufficiencie is of God 1. Cor. 2.15 The naturall mā perceiueth not the things of God which is most manifest thus first hee knoweth not God himselfe aright for although hee may know God as an infinite and eternall being or in some other attribute yet he cannot know him as a father to himselfe Secondly hee knoweth not neither conceiueth the corruption of his owne nature nor his sinnes originall and actuall in the staine and danger of them Thirdly he conceiueth not of the remedie of sinne the death of Christ but accounteth it foolishnes that life should be brought out of death Secondly as his mind is blind so a naturall mans will is rebellious and is not subiect vnto the will of God neither indeed can be Ioh. 6.44 No man can come to Christ vnlesse the Father draw him insinuating our withdrawing of our selues and resistance of his call vntill he turne vs make our wils of vnwilling willing wils to will that which is truly good whēce the Apostle saith that to will namely that which is truly good is not of our selues it is the gift of God Now hence wee may resolue that question why it is a sinne to bee a naturall man not because a man hath nature in him but because his whole nature is tainted with originall sinne Ob. The naturall man may pleade that he cannot helpe it hee was borne sinfull why then should he be blamed Ans. Rom. 5.12 In Adam we all sinned for when he eat the forbidden fruit we euen eat it in him are no lesse blame-worthie than he was Ob. But it will be said it is no reason that we should bee said to sin in him seeing then we were not Ans. Adam was a publike person representing all mankinde and euery particular person descēding from him and therefore what he did all and euery man did in him Euen as a Burgesse in the Parliament giuing his voyce and assent all the countrie or shire is said to giue their voices though they be absent and not present otherwise than in his person God then giuing a prohibition vnto Adam hee gaue it vnto all vs in him and threatning him he threatned vs and all mankinde this onely is the difference that hee being the roote or flocke and wee the branches arising from him hee sinned actually and we by relation and imputation If then the naturall man still pleade hee was no cause but was borne so the answere is cleere that himselfe is a cause although not in himselfe yet in Adam before he was borne he procured that he should be borne a naturall man Secondly it may be pleaded againe If I be a naturall man I am Gods creature as I am why then should I be blamed Ans. The former distinction betweene nature and corruption of nature must be here retained for by the former the naturall man is Gods creature and not in respect of the corruption of nature for this he created not as the other but suffred it to passe by generation from man to man for the execution of the punishment of the first sinne Quest. Why did not God stay this corruption in Adams person Ans. God could haue done it why he did it not the reason is neither knowne nor to be enquired a secret it is but yet a iust iudgement of God silently to bee with reuerence rested in and not with curiositie to be searched out Vse First some may hence gather if a man be iustly blamed for being only a naturall man and