CHAPTER II. Of Original Sin. CHURCH OF ENGLAND. ORIGINAL sin standeth not in the following of Adam (as the Pelagians do vainly talk); but it is the fault and corruption of the nature of every man, that naturally is ingendered of the offspring of Adam, whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness, and is of his own nature inclined to evil, so that the flesh lusteth always contrary to the spirit; and therefore in every person born into this world, it deserveth God's wrath and damnation.Art. 9. We be, of ourselves, of such earth as can bring forth nothing but weeds, nettles, brambles, briar, cockles, and darnel. Our fruits be declared in the 5th chapter to the Galatians. We have neither faith, charity, hope, patience, chastity, nor any CALVIN. Original sin is an hereditary pravity and corruption of our nature, diffused through all the faculties of the soul; rendering us obnoxious to the wrath of God, and producing in us those works which the Scripture calls works of the flesh. These two things should be distinctly observed: first, that our nature being so entirely vitiated and depraved, we are, on account of this very corruption, considered as convicted and justly condemned in the sight of God, to whom nothing is acceptable but righteousness, innocence, and purity. The other thing to be remarked is, that this depravity never ceases in us, but is perpetually producing new fruits, those works of the flesh which we have already CHURCH OF ENGLAND. thing else that good is, but of God; and therefore these virtues be called there, the fruits of the Holy Ghost and not the fruits of man.-2 Hon. on the misery of man, p. 9. Man of his own nature is -only given to evil thoughts and wicked deeds.-1 Hom. Whitsun.* CALVIN. described, like the emission of flame and sparks from a heated furnace, or like the streams of water from an unfailing spring. Wherefore, those who have defined original sin as a privation of original righteousness, which we ought to possess, though they comprise the whole of the subject, yet have not used language sufficiently expressive of its operation and influence. For our nature is not only destitute of all good, but is so fertile in all evils, that it cannot remain inactive.-Instit. 1. 2. c. 1. s. 8. The ninth article is so very explicit, that it seems scarcely possible to misapprehend any part of its meaning. For two hundred and fifty years it has been understood to assert the total loss of original integrity, and the entire corruption of human nature by the fall of Adam. It was reserved for Dr. Tomline to discover that this expression "man is very far gone from original righteousness" implies that original righteousness is not entirely lost," (p. 50.) In another work his lordship states, that when the 39 articles were compiled and subscribed in 1562, they "were drawn up in Latin only: but in 1571 they were subscribed by * For a more full exposition of the doctrine of this chapter, see Appendix. the members of both houses, both in Latin and English, and therefore the Latin and English copies are to be considered as equally authentic." Consequently, we should avail ourselves of both, in order to ascertain the meaning with the utmost possible precision. The clause in the English article is so evidently at variance with the implication advanced by his lordship, that it is difficult to conceive the possibility of such an inference being deduced from it by any one not previously interested in warping it from its real meaning. But the expression in the Latin is still more conclusive against him. "Ab originali justitia quam longissime distet"-which, with all due submission, I venture to translate, man is gone to the farthest possible distance from original righteousness." But what degree of righteousness can be possessed by those who are gone to the farthest possible distance from it, remains for his lordship to ascertain. If, after reading the foregoing implication, a person could feel surprise at any thing advanced by his lordship, it would be at his assertion," that this is the plain and obvious sense of the passage."-The Bishop tells us, that "the Assembly of Divines in the reign of Charles the First proposed to omit the wordsman is very far gone from original righteousness,' and to substitute for them, man is wholly deprived of original righteousness.—And it is curious to observe, that he imputes this proposal to an attachment "to the peculiar tenets of Calvin," and a wish to reform our articles according to the Calvinistic Creed." But the above extract shows that Calvin did not altogether approve of this definition; and whether the article required any alteration to conform it to 6 the Calvinistic Creed, no reader of the passages can be at any loss to decide. Dr. T. further insists, that "the articles does not pronounce with the Calvinists, that man of his own nature can perform nothing but evil." If any reasonable doubt could be entertained respecting the meaning of the article, it must be entirely removed by this passage from the Homilies which contains the same sentiment, and nearly in the same language here condemned as Calvinistic. CHAPTER III. The Light of Nature insufficient. CHURCH OF ENGLAND. CALVIN. Have mercy upon all I do not deny that some Jews, Turks, infidels, and judicious and apposite obheretics, and take from them all ignorance, hardness of heart, and contempt of thy word; and so fetch them home, blessed Lord, to thy flock, that they may be saved.-Col. Good Frid. They also are to be had accursed, that presume to say that every man shall be saved by the law or sect which he professeth, so that he be diligent to frame his life according to that law, and the light of nature. For holy Scripture doth set out unto us only the name of Jesus Christ, whereby men must be saved.-Art. 18. St. Ambrose concludeth in a few words, saying, He that by nature would withstand vice, either by natural will, or reason, he doth in vain garnish the time of this servations concerning God may be found scattered in the writings of the philosophers; but they always betray a confused imagination. The Lord afforded them, as we have before observed, some slight sense of his divinity, that they might not be able to plead ignorance as an excuse for impiety, and sometimes impelled them to say things, by the confession of which they might themselves be convinced. But they saw the objects presented to their view in such a manner, that by the sight they were not even directed to the truth, much less did they arrive at it. Just as a man, who is travelling by night across a field, sees the coruscations of lightning extending for a moment |