Next to the Preface, Confession does, according to the more usual, and ordinary course, succeed.
The first thing to be confessed in the Enumeration of sin (as is before expressed in the scheme of Confession) is Original sin.
Whereas God at first made man upright, he hath since corrupted himself, (Eccles. 7.29) by seeking out many inventions.
He planted our first Parents a noble Vine, a right seed; but they quickly turned into degenerate plants of a strange Vine. (Jer. 2.21)
So that we are transgressors from the wombe.
1 Being shapen in iniquity, and conceived in sin.
A seed of evill doers, children that are corrupters,
Branches of the wild Olive.
Being naturally dead in trespasses and sins.
Children of wrath, bearing about us, the old man.
A body of sin, and of death.
A law of our members.
Being born only of the flesh.
Having sin that dwels in us.
And is alwayes present with us.
And doth so easily beset us.
This Originall sin hath been propagated to us, both by Imputation. Real Communication.
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By Imputation of Adams particular transgression, in eating the forbidden fruit; for we were legally parties in that Covenant, which was at first made with him, and therefore cannot but expect to be liable unto the guilt which followed upon the breach of it. By one man sin entred into the world, and death by sin, (Rom. 5.1) and so death passed upon all men.
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By reall Communication of evil concupiscence, and depravation upon our natures, which was the consequent of the first rebellion; We were all of us naturally in our first Parents, as the streams in the fountaine, or the branches in the root, and therefore must needs partake the same corrupted nature with them; For who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? And what is man that he should be clean?2 or he that is borne of woman that he should be righteous? This might justly make us more loathsome and abominable in Gods eyes, then either Toads or Vipers, or any other, the most venomous, hurtfull creatures are in ours: and for this alone, he might justly cut us off, and condemne us, though it were meerly for the prevention of that mischief and enmity against him, which the very principles of our natures are infected with.
Though man were at first made little lower then the Angels, being crowned with glory and honour,3 having dominion over the other creatures, all things being put under his feet, yet this corruption of our nature hath now made us become more vile then the beasts that perish. (Psal. 49.20)
‘Tis the root and the fountaine of all other sin, from whence every actual abomination does proceed. Atheisme, and Pride, and basenesse, and cruelty, and prophanenesse, and every other vice, which the most wicked wretch in the world is guilty of, doth proceed from hence. Hell it self which is the proper place of sin, is not more full of sin, for the kinds of it then our natures are. If there be any particular sin which we have not fallen into in our lives, ‘tis not for want of corrupt principles and dispositions in our natures, which do incline us to all, but by reason of Gods restraining or renuing grace, which hath as yet with-held us from them; without which we should break out into as great abominations, as were ever committed by the vilest of the sons of men.
All that pravity and basenesse, which fils up every part and power about us, are but diffusions of our Original corruption: what a world of mischief is there in our several parts, our Wills, Affections, our Tongues, Eyes? And yet all these are but as little rivulets: The fountaine, or rather the Sea that feeds them, is our corrupted nature.
‘Tis this that fils us with enmity against all spiritual truths and Ordinances; makes us (what we should tremble to think of) haters of God, though he be the God of our life, and of our happinesse; in whom we live, and move, and have our beings.
4Hence is it, that when we would do good, evil is present with us; that we have a law in our members, rebelling against the law of our mindes, and bringing us into captivity to the law of sin.