Ecumenical Christian Library

  • Loading…

Chapter VIII — Of the State of Corrupted Nature

16453 min read

Chap. VIII. — Of the State of Corrupted Nature.

Q. 1. How came this weakness and disability upon us?

A. By the sin and1 shameful fall of our first parents. Rom. v. 12, 14.

Q. 2. Wherein did that hurt us, their posterity?

A. Divers ways; first, 2in that we were all guilty of the same breach of covenant with Adam, being all in him; secondly, 3our souls with his were deprived of that holiness, innocence, and righteousness wherein they were at first created; thirdly, 4pollution and defilement of nature came upon us; with, fourthly, 5an extreme disability of doing any thing that is well-pleasing unto God; 6by all which we are made obnoxious to the curse.

Q. 3. Wherein doth the curse of God consist?

A. In divers things; first, 7in the8 guilt of death, temporal and eternal; secondly, 9the loss of the grace and favour of God; thirdly, 10guilt and horror of conscience, despair and anguish here; with, fourthly, 11eternal damnation hereafter.

Q. 4. Are all men born in this estate?

A. Every one without exception. Ps. li. 5; Isa. liii. 6; Rom. iii. 9–12; Eph. ii. 3.

Q. 5. And do they continue therein?

A. Of themselves12 they cannot otherwise do, being able neither to 13know, nor 14will, nor 15do any thing that is spiritually good and pleasing unto God.

Q. 6. Have they, then, no way of themselves to escape the curse and wrath of God?

A. None at all; they can neither satisfy his justice, nor fulfil his law.

← Chapter VII — Of the Law of God · Contents · Chapter IX — Of the Incarnation of Christ →

Footnotes

  1. This is that which commonly is called original sin, which in general denoteth the whole misery and corruption of our nature; as, — 1. The guilt of Adam’s actual sin to us imputed; 2. Loss of God’s glorious image, innocency and holiness; 3. Deriving by propagation a nature — (1.) Defiled with the pollution, (2.) Laden with the guilt, (3.) Subtitled to the power of sin; 4. A being exposed to all temporal miseries, leading to and procuring death; 5. An alienation from God, with voluntary obedience to Satan and lust; 6. An utter disability to good, or to labour for mercy; 7. Eternal damnation of body and soul in hell. ↩

  2. John iii. 36; Rom. v. 12; Eph. ii. 3. ↩

  3. Gen. iii. 10; Eph iv. 23, 24; Col. iii. 10. ↩

  4. Job xiv. 4; Ps. li. 7; John iii. 6; Rom. iii. 13. ↩

  5. Gen. vi. 5; Eph. ii. 1; Jer. vi. 16, xiii. 23; Rom. viii. 7. ↩

  6. Gen. iii. 17; Gal. iii. 10. ↩

  7. Gen. ii. 17; Rom. i. 18, v. 12, 17; Eph. ii. 3. ↩

  8. All that a natural man hath on this side hell is free mercy. ↩

  9. Gen. iii. 24; Ezek. xvi. 3–5; Eph ii. 13. ↩

  10. Gen. iii. 10; Isa. xlviii. 22; Rom. iii. 9, 19, Gal. iii. 22. ↩

  11. Gen. iii. 10, 13; John iii. 36. ↩

  12. The end of this is Jesus Christ, to all that fly for refuge to the hope set before them. ↩

  13. Acts viii. 31, xvi. 14; 1 Cor. ii. 14; Eph. v. 8; John i. 5. ↩

  14. Jer. vi. 16, xiii. 23; Luke iv. 18; Rom. vi. 16, viii. 7. ↩

  15. John vi. 44; 2 Cor. iii. 5. ↩

Backlinks