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THIRD LORD'S DAY.
Question 7.
Whence, then, proceeds this depravity of human nature?
Answer.
From the fall and disobedience of our
first parents, Adam and Eve, in Paradise; hence our nature is become so corrupt,
that we are all conceived and born in sin.
EXPOSITION
Here we are to take into consideration, in the first
place, the fall and first sin of man, from which the depravity of human nature
proceeds; and secondly, we are to consider the subject of sin in general, and
especially original sin.
OF THE FALL, AND FIRST SIN OF
MAN.
In relation to this, we must enquire:
I.
WHAT WAS THE SIN OF OUR FIRST PARENTS?
The fall, or first sin of man, was the disobedience
of our first parents, Adam and Eve, in Paradise; or the eating of the forbidden
fruit: "Of every tree in the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of
the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that
thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die." (Gen. 2:16, 17.) Man, by the
instigation of the devil, violated this command of God; and from this, has
proceeded our depravity and misery.
But is the plucking of an apple such a great and
heinous offence? It is indeed a most aggravated offence; because there are many
horrid sins connected with it. such as: 1. Pride, ambition, and an admiration of
self. Man, not satisfied with his own dignity, and with the condition in which
he was placed, desired to be equal with God. This, God charged upon him, when he
said, "Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil." (Gen.
3:22.) 2. Unbelief; for he charged a lie upon God, who had said, "Thou shalt
surely die." The devil denied this, by saying, "Ye shall not surely die ;" and
accused God of envy, saying, "But God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof,
then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."
(Gen. 3 :5.) Adam believed the devil rather than God, and ate of the forbidden
fruit; nor did he believe that any punishment would overtake him. But not to
believe God, and to believe the devil, is to regard God as though he were no
God--yea, it is to substitute the devil in the place of God. This was a sin that
was horrible beyond measure. 3. Contempt and disobedience to God; which appears
in the fact that he ate of the fruit contrary to the command of God. 4.
ingratitude for benefits received. He was created in the image of God, and for
the enjoyment of eternal life; for which benefit he made this return, that he
harkened to the devil more than to God. 5. Unnaturalness, and the want of love
to posterity. Miserable man that he was! He did not think that as he had
received these gifts for himself and his posterity, so he would also, by
sinning, lose them for himself and his posterity. 6. Apostacy, or a manifest
falling away from God to the devil, whom he believed and obeyed, rather than
God; and whom he set up in the place of God, separating himself from God. He did
not ask of God those things which he was to receive; but, by the advice of the
devil, he wished to obtain equality with God. The fall of man, therefore, was no
trifling, nor single offence; hut it was a sin manifold and horrible in its
nature, on account of which God justly rejected him, with all of his posterity.
Hence, we may easily return an answer to the
objection: No just judge inflicts a great punishment on account of a small
offence. God is a just judge. Therefore, he ought not to have punished so
severely, in our first parents, the eating of an apple. Ans. It was not,
however, a small offence as we have already shown; hut a most aggravated
sin--comprehending pride, ingratitude, apostacy, &c. Hence, God justly inflicted
a severe punishment, on account of this act of disobedience. And if it be still
further objected, that God ought to have spared the posterity of Adam, in as
much as he himself has declared, "The son shall not bear the iniquity of the
father ;" (Ez. 18:20.) we would reply, that this is true only where the son is
not a partaker of the wickedness of the father; but we are all partakers of the
sin of Adam.
II.
WHAT WERE THE CAUSES OF THE FIRST SIN?
The first sin of man had its origin, not in God, but
was brought about by the instigation of the devil, and the free will of man. The
devil tempted man to fall away from God; and man, yielding to this temptation,
willingly separated himself from God. And although God left man to himself in
this temptation, yet he is not the cause of the fall, the sin, or the
destruction of man; because, in this desertion, he neither designed, nor
accomplished any of these things. He merely put man upon trial, to show that he
is entirely unable to do, or to retain aught that is good, if he is not
preserved and controlled by the Holy Spirit; and with this, his trial, God, in
his just judgment, permitted the sin of man to concur.
The wisdom of man reasons and concludes differently,
as is evident from the objection which we often hear: He who withdraws, in the
time of temptation, that grace, without which it is not possible to prevent a
fall, is the cause of the fall. But God withdrew, from man, his grace, in the
trial through which he was called to pass, so that man could not but fall.
Therefore, God was the cause of the fall of man. Ans. The major proposition is
true only of him who withholds grace, when he is obligated not to withdraw it;
who takes it from him who is desirous of it, and does not wilfully reject it;
and who withholds it out of malice. But it is not true of him who is not bound
to preserve the grace which he at first gave; and who does not withdraw it from
him who desires it, but only from him who is willing for him so to do, and who,
of his own account, rejects the grace that is proffered him; and who does not,
therefore, withhold it because he envies the sinner righteousness and eternal
life; but that he may make a trial of him to whom he has imparted his grace. He
who thus forsakes any one, is not the cause of sin, even though it necessarily
follows this desertion and withdrawal of grace. And in as much as God withheld
his grace from man in the time of his temptation, not in the first, but in the
last manner just described, he is not the cause of his sin and destruction; but
man alone is guilty for wilfully rejecting the grace of God.
It is again objected, by men of carnal minds: He who
wills to tempt any one, when he certainly knows that he will fall, if he be
tempted, wills the sin of him who falls. God willed that man should be tempted
by the devil, when he knew that he would certainly fall; for if he had not
willed it, man could not have been tempted. Therefore, God is the cause of the
fall. Ans. We deny the major, if it be understood in its naked and simple form;
for he is not the cause of sin, who wills that he who may fall should be tempted
for the purpose of being put upon trial, and for the manifestation of the
weakness of the creature, which was the sense in which God tempted man. But the
devil tempting man, with the design that he might sin, and separate himself from
God; and man, of his own free will, yielding to this temptation, in opposition
to the command of God; they are both the cause of sin, of which we shall speak
more hereafter.
III.
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF THE FIRST SIN?
The effects of the first sin are:
1. Exposure to death, and the privation and destruction of the image of
God in our first parents. 2. Original sin in their posterity, which includes
exposures to eternal death, and a depravity and aversion of our whole nature to
God. 3. All actual sins, which proceed from original sin; for that which is the
cause of a cause, is also the cause of the effect. . The first sin is the cause
of original sin, and this of actual sins. 4. All the various evils which are
inflicted upon men as punishments for sin. The first sin, therefore, is the
cause of all other sins, and of the punishments which are inflicted upon the
children of men. But whether it is in accordance with the justice of God to
punish posterity for the sins of their parents, will be hereafter explained,
when we come to treat the subject of original sin.
God had the power of preserving man from falling, if
he had willed so to do; but he permitted him to fall, that is, he did not grant
him the grace of resisting the temptation of the devil, for these two reasons:
First, that he might furnish an exhibition of the weakness of the creature, when
left to himself, and not preserved in original righteousness by his Creator; and
secondly, that by this occasion, God might display his goodness, mercy, and
grace, in saving, through Christ, all them that believe; and manifest his
justice and power in punishing the wicked and reprobate for their sins, as it is
said, "God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon
all, and that every mouth might be stopped." "What if God, willing to shew his
wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering, the
vessels of wrath fitted to destruction; and that he might make known the riches
of his glory on the vesseLs of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory."
(Rom. 11:32; 9:22.)
The questions
which are usually discussed, in relation to sin in general, are chiefly the
following:
I.
FROM WHAT DOES IT APPEAR THAT SIN IS IN THE WORLD, AND THAT IT IS ALSO IN
US?
That sin is in the world, and also in us, may be
proven by a variety of arguments. First, God declares that we are all guilty of
sin, which declaration ought especially to be believed, in as much as God is the
searcher of the heart, and an eye-witness to all our actions. (Gen. 6:5; 18:21.
Jer. 17:9. Rom. 1:21; 3:10; 7:18. Ps. 14 & 53. Isaiah 59.) Secondly, the law of
God recognizes sin, as we have already shown, in our exposition of the third and
fifth questions of the Catechism, where these declarations of the law were
referred to: "By the law is the knowledge of sin." "The law worketh wrath; for
where no law is, there is no transgression." "The law entered that the offence
might abound." "I had not known sin, but by the law." (Rom. 3:20; 4:15; 5:20;
7:7.) Thirdly, conscience convinces, and convicts us of sin; for God even apart
from his written law, has preserved in us certain general principles of the
natural law, sufficient to accuse and condemn us. "Because that which may be
known of God is manifest in them." "For when the Gentiles, which have not the
law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these not having the law, are
a law unto themselves; which shew the work of the law written in their hearts,
their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts, the meanwhile
accusing, or else excusing, one another." (Rom. 1:19; 2:13-14.) Fourthly,
punishments and death to which all men are subject; yea, our cemeteries,
grave-yards, and places of execution, are all so many sermons upon the evil of
sin; because God being just never inflicts punishment upon any of his creatures
unless it be for sin, according to what the Scriptures say: "Death passed upon
all men, for that all have sinned." "The wages of sin is death." "Cursed is
every one that confirmeth not all the words of this law, to do them." (Rom.
5:12; 6:23. Deut. 27:26.) The benefit of this question is:
Does any one ask, whether we may not also obtain a
knowledge of sin from the gospel, since the gospel, in exhorting us to seek for
righteousness, not in ourselves, but out of ourselves in Christ, declares us
sinners? We reply, that the gospel does indeed pronounce us sinners, but not in
particular as the law does; neither does it avowedly teach what, and how
manifold sin is, what it deserves, &c., which is the proper work of the law; but
it does this in general by presupposing what the law affirms, just as an
inferior science assumes certain principles which are taken from another that is
higher, and superior to it. After the law has convinced us that we are sinners,
the gospel takes this principle as established, and concludes that in as much as
we are sinners in ourselves, we must, therefore, seek righteousness out of
ourselves, in Christ, if we would be saved.
We may, therefore, conclude from these five
considerations, that we are all sinners in the sight of God: From the testimony
of God himself--from the law of God in particular - from the gospel in
general-from the sense of conscience, and from the various punishments which
God, being just, would not inflict upon us, if we had not sinned.
Sin is the transgression of the law, or whatever is
in opposition thereto, whether it be the want of righteousness (defectus), or an
inclination, or action contrary to the divine law, and so offending God, and
subjecting the creature to his eternal wrath, unless forgiveness be obtained for
the sake of the Son of God, our Mediator. Its general nature is a want of
righteousness, or an inclination, or action not in accordance with the law of
God. To speak more properly, however, it may be said that the want of
righteousness is this general nature of sin, whilst inclinations and actions are
rather the matter of sin. The difference, or formal character of sin, is
opposition to the law, which the Apostle John calls the transgression of the
law. The property, which necessarily attaches itself to sin, is the sinner's
guiltiness, which is a desert of punishment, temporal and eternal, according to
the order of divine justice. Sin has, therefore, what is usually termed a double
form, or a two-fold nature, which may be said to consist in opposition to the
law, and guilt; or it may be regarded as including two sides, the former of
which is opposition to the law, and the latter desert of punishment. The
accidental condition of sin is thus expressed, unless forgiveness be obtained,
ic., for it is not according to the nature of sin, but by an accident, that
those who believe in Christ are not punished with eternal death; because sin is
not imputed to them, but graciously remitted for Christ's sake.
This want of righteousness, which is comprehended in
sin, includes, as it respects the mind, ignorance and doubt with regard to God
and his will; and as it respects the heart, it includes a want of love to God
and our neighbor, a want of delight in God and an ardent desire and purpose to
obey all. his commandments; together with an omission of such actions as the law
of God requires from us. Disordered inclinations consist in a stubbornness of
the heart, and an unwillingness to comply with the law of God, and the judgment
of the mind, as it respects actions which are proper and improper; together with
a depravity and propensity of nature to do those things which God forbids, which
evil is called concupiscence.
That this want of righteousness and these disordered
inclinations are sins, and condemned of God, may he proven: First, from the law
of God, which expressly condemns all these things, when it declares, " Cursed be
he that confirmeth not all the words of this law, to do them"; and "Thou shalt
not covet." (Deut. 27 :26. Ex. 20:17.) The law also requires of men the opposite
gifts and exercises, such as perfect knowledge and love to God and our neighbor,
saying: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, &c." " This is
life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, &c." "Thou shalt have
no other gods before me." (Deut. 6:5. John 17:3. Ex. 20:3.) Secondly, the same
thing is proven by the many testimonies of Scripture which condemn and speak of
these evils as sins, as when it is said: "Every imagination of the thoughts of
man's heart was only evil continually." "The heart is deceitful above all things
and desperately wicked." "I had not known lust, (that is, I had not known it to
be sin,) except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet." (Gen. 6:8. Jer. 17:9.
Rom. 7:7.) See also John 3:5. 1 Cor. 2:14; 15:28. Thirdly, by the punishment and
death of infants, who, although they neither do good, nor evil, and sin not
after the similitude of Adam's transgression, nevertheless have sin, on account
of which death reigns in them. This is that ignorance of and aversion to God of
which we have already spoken.
Obj. 1. That which we do not will, as well as that
which we cannot avoid, is no sin. But we do not will this want of righteousness,
neither can we prevent disordered inclinations from arising within us.
Therefore, they are no sins. Ans. The major proposition is true in a civil
court, but not in the judgment of God, before whom whatever is in opposition to
his law, whether it can be avoided or not, is sin, and as such deserves
punishment. The Scriptures clearly teach these two things, that the wisdom of
the flesh cannot be subject to the law of God, and that all those who are not
subject thereto, stand exposed to the curse of the law.
Obj. 2. Nature is good. Our inclinations and desires
are natural. Therefore, they are good. Ans. Nature is, indeed, good, if we look
upon it as it came from the hands of God, and before it became corrupted by sin;
for all things which God made, he declared to be very good. (Gen. 1:31.) And
even now, nature is good as to its substance, and as it was made of God; but not
as to its qualities, and as it has become corrupted.
Obj. 3. Punishments are no sins. Disordered
inclinations and a want of righteousness are punishments of the first sin of
man. Therefore, they are no sins. Ans. The major proposition is true in a civil
court, but not in the judgment of God, who often punishes sin with sin, as the
Apostle Paul most clearly shows in Rom. 1:27; 2 Thess. 4:11. God has power also
to deprive his creatures of his spirit, which power none of his creatures
possess.
III.
HOW MANY KINDS OF SIN ARE THERE?
There are five principal divisions of sin. The first
is that of original and actual sin. This distinction is taught in Rom. 5:14;
7:20; 9:11.
Original Sin.
Original sin is the guilt of the whole human race, on
account of the fall of our first parents. It consists in a want of the knowledge
of God and of his will in the mind, and of an inclination to obey God with the
heart and will; in the place of which there is an inclination to those things
which the law of God forbids, and an aversion to those things which it commands,
resulting from the fall of our first parents, Adam and Eve, and from them made
to pass over into all their posterity, thus corrupting our whole nature, so that
all, on account of this depravity, are subject to the eternal wrath of God; nor
can we do anything pleasing to him, unless forgiveness be obtained for the sake
of the Son of God, our Mediator, and the Holy Ghost renew our nature. Of this
kind of sin it is said, "Death reigned even over them that had not sinned after
the similitude of Adam's transgression." "In sin did my mother conceive me."
(Rom. 5:14. Ps. 51:7.) Original sin comprehends, therefore, these two things:
exposure to eternal condemnation on account of the fall of our first parents,
and a depravity of our entire nature since the fall. Paul includes both, when he
says: "By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death
passed upon all, for that all have sinned." (Rom. 5:12.) The same thing is
expressed, although somewhat more obscurely, in the common definition of
original sin which is generally attributed to Anselm:
"Original sin is a want of original righteousness
which ought to be in us." Original righteousness was not only a conformity of
our nature with the law of God, but it also included divine acceptance and
approbation. In the place of this conformity with the divine law, we now have
depravity; and in the place of this approbation, we have the displeasure of God,
which has followed in consequence of the fall. The same thing is true of that
definition of Hugo: " Original sin is that which we inherit from our birth,
through ignorance in the understanding, and concupiscence in the flesh."
In opposition to this doctrine of original sin, the
Pelagians formerly believed, and taught, as the Anabaptists do at this day, that
there is no original sin--that posterity are not guilty on account of the fall
of our first parents, and that sin is not derived from them by propagation; but
that every one sins, and contracts guilt only by imitating the bad examples of
others. Augustin refuted these Pelagians in many books. There are others, who
admit that we are all guilty on account of the fall of our first parents, but
deny that we are born with such depravity as that which deserves condemnation;
for the want of righteousness, and the propensity to evil which we all have by
nature, they contend, cannot be regarded as sins. We must hold, and maintain, hi opposition to all these heretics, these four propositions:
The first, second, and third propositions have been
already sufficiently demonstrated; the fourth is proven:
First, by the testimony of Scripture. "We are all by
nature the children of wrath even as others." "By the offence of one, judgment
came upon all men to condemnation." "By one man's disobedience many were made
sinners." "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean ?" "I was born in
iniquity." "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter
into the kingdom of God." (Eph. 2:3. Rom. 5:6, 19. Job 14:4. Ps. 51:7. John
3:5.)
Secondly, infants die, and are to be baptized.
Therefore they must have sin. But they cannot sin by imitation. It remains,
therefore, that it must be born in them, according as it is said: "Thou wast
called a transgressor from the womb." "The heart of man is evil from his youth."
(Is. 48:8. Gen. 8:21.) Ambrose says: " Who is just before God, when an infant
but a day old cannot be free from sin?"
Thirdly, everything that is born has the nature of
that from which it has proceeded, as it respects the substance, and accidents of
the species to which it belongs. But we are all born of corrupt and sinful
parents; therefore we all, by our birth, inherit, or become, partakers of their
corruption and guilt.
Fourthly, by the death of Christ, who is the second
Adam, we obtain a twofold grace: we mean justification and regeneration. It
follows, therefore, that we must all have derived from the first Adam the
twofold evil of guilt and corruption of nature, otherwise there had been no
necessity for a twofold grace and remedy.
Obj. 1. If
original sin be transmitted from parents to their offspring, it must be either
through the body, or through the soul. But it cannot be through the body,
because it is destitute of reason. Nor can it be through the soul, because this
is not produced by transmission, or derived from the soul of the parent, since
it is a substance which is spiritual and indivisible; nor is it created corrupt,
since God is not the author of sin. Therefore, original sin is certainly not
transmitted by nature. Ans. We deny the minor proposition; because the soul,
although created pure and holy by God, may nevertheless contract corruption from
the body into which it is infused, even though it be destitute of reason. Nor is
it absurd to say that the corrupt constitution of the body, with its propensity
to evil, is an unfit instrument for the good actions of the soul, and that the
soul, not established in righteousness, may become polluted, and so fall from
its own integrity, so soon as it becomes united with the body. We also deny the
consequence of the above syllogism, for the reason that the parts which are
enumerated in the first proposition are not properly expressed. Original sin is
neither transmitted through the body, nor through the soul, but through the
transgression of our first parents; on account of which, God, even whilst he
creates the soul, at the same time deprives it of original righteousness, and
such other gifts as he conferred upon our first parents upon the condition that
they should transmit them to, or lose them for, their posterity, according as
they themselves should retain or lose them. Nor is God, by this act, unjust, or
the cause of sin; for this want of righteousness in respect to God, who inflicts
it on account of the disobedience of our first parents, is no sin, but a most
just punishment; although, in respect to our first parents, who drew it upon
themselves and their posterity, it is a sin. The fallacy of the above argument
will now be apparent if we state more fully the major proposition: original sin
is transmitted to posterity either through the body, or through the soul, or
through the transgression of our first parents, and the desert of this want of
righteousness. For just as original sin came to exist in our first parents on
account of their transgression, so it is transmitted to posterity on account of
the same. This is not that small chink, or unimportant subject, about which the
schoolmen disputed so warmly, whether the soul be transmitted from our parents
by generation, and whether it becomes polluted by its connection with the body;
but it is that wide gate through which original sin flows violently and infects
our nature, as Paul testifies when he says: "By one man's disobedience many were
made sinners. (Rom. 5:19.)
To this it is objected: The want of original
righteousness is sin. God has inflicted this, by creating in us a soul destitute
of those gifts which he would have conferred upon Adam had he not sinned.
Therefore he is the author of sin. Ans. Phere is in the minor proposition a
fallacy of accident. This want of righteousness is sin in respect to Adam and
us, since by his, and our fault we have drawn it upon ourselves, and now eagerly
receive it. That the creature should be destitute of righteousness and of
conformity to God, is repugnant to the law, and is sin. But in respect to God,
it is a most just punishment of disobedience; which punishment is in harmony
with the nature and law of God.
It is further objected: God ought not to punish the
transgression of Adam with such a punishment as that which he knew would result
in the destruction of the whole nature of man. Ans. God's justice must be
satisfied, even if the whole world should perish. It, moreover, behooved him to
avenge in this manner the obstinacy of man, from regard to his extreme justice
and truth. An offence committed against the highest good, deserves the most
extreme punishment, which consists in the eternal destruction of the creature;
for God has said "Thou shalt surely die." It is, therefore, of his mercy that he
should rescue any from this general ruin, and save them through Christ.
Obj. 2. It is natural that we should desire objects;
therefore these desires are no sins. Ans. Such desires as are directed upon
proper objects, and which God has excited and ordained, are no sins. But such as
are inordinate, and contrary to the law, are sins. For to desire is not of
itself sinful, inasmuch as it of itself is good, because it is natural; but to
desire contrary to the law is sin.
Obj. 3. Original sin is removed, as far as it
respects the saints; therefore they cannot transmit it to their offspring. Ans.
The godly are indeed delivered from original sin as it respects the guilt
thereof, which is remitted unto them through Christ; but in as far as it
respects its formal character and essence,--that is, as an evil opposing itself
to the law of God, it remains. And although those to whom sin is remitted are at
the same time regenerated by the Holy Ghost, yet this renewal of their nature is
not perfect in this life; therefore they transmit the corrupt nature which they
themselves have to their posterity.
To this it is objected: That which the parents do not
possess, they cannot transmit to their posterity. The guilt of original sin is
taken away from all those parents who have been regenerated. Therefore, at
least, guilt cannot be transmitted. Ans. The major is to be distinguished.
Parents do not transmit to their children that which they have not by nature;
for they are freed from the guilt of sin, not by nature, but by the grace of
Christ. It is for this reason that they do not transmit to their posterity, by
nature, the righteousness which is imputed unto them by grace; but they transmit
the corruption and condemnation to which they are by nature subject. And the
reason why they transmit their guilt, and not their righteousness, is this:
their children are born, not according to grace, but according to nature. Nor
are we to conceive of grace and justification as restricted, and transmitted by
carnal propagation, but by the most free election of God. Jacob and Esau are
examples of this, &c. Augustin illustrates this by two forcible comparisons. The
one is that of the grains of wheat, which, although they are sown after having
been separated from their stalk, chaff, beard, and ear, by threshing, still
spring out of the earth again, with all these. This comes to pass because the
threshing and cleaning are not natural to the grain, but are the work of human
industry. The other is that of a circumcised father, who, although lie himself
has no foreskin, yet begets a son with one; and this also happens because
circumcision was not upon the father by nature, but by the covenant.
Obj. 4. If the root or tree be holy, the branches are
also holy; therefore the children of those that are holy are also holy, and free
from original sin. (Rom. 11:16.) Ans. There is here an incorrectness in the use
of terms that are ambiguous in their signification; for holiness, as it is here
used, does not signify freedom from sin, or purity of heart, but that dignity
and privilege peculiar to the posterity of Abraham; because God, on account of
the covenant which he made with Abraham, promised that he would at all times
dispose some of his seed to do his will, and would grant unto them true inward
holiness; and also because they had obtained a right and title to his church.
Obj. 5. But the children of believers are holy,
according to the declaration of St. Paul, 1 Cor. 7:14. Therefore they have no
original sin. Ans. This is an incorrect conclusion, drawn from a perversion of
the figure of speech that is here employed: for when it is said they are holy,
it does not mean that all the children of the faithful are regenerated, or that
they obtain holiness by carnal propagation; for it is said, in Rom. 9:11, 13, of
Jacob and Esau, that the one was loved and the other was hated before they were
born, or had done good or evil; but it means that the children of the godly are
holy as it respects the external fellowship of the church that they are
considered citizens and members thereof, and as being included in the number of
those who are called, and sanctified, unless when they come to years of maturity
they bear testimony against themselves by their impiety and unbelief, and so
declare that they have forfeited all their rights and privileges.
Obj. 6. If sin be transmitted to posterity by natural
generation, then those who will live at the latest period of the history of the
human race will have to bear the sins of all the previous generations, whilst
those who lived before them will have borne the sins of only a portion of their
ancestry; consequently those who will live last upon the earth will be the most
miserable, which is absurd and inconsistent with the justice of God. Ans. It
would not be absurd, even if God were to desert, and punish more heavily, the
last of our race: for the greater the number of sins that are committed, and
treasured up by the human race, the more fiercely does his anger burn, and the
more aggravated are the punishments which he inflicts upon men, according to
what is written: "The iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full." "That upon you
may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of
righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias," &c. (Gen. 15:16. Matt. 22:35.) We
may also reply, that although God in his justice permits original sin, or the
corruption and guilt of our nature, to pass upon all the posterity of Adam, yet
he, at the same time, of his mercy, sets bounds to this sin, that posterity may
not always suffer punishment for the actual transgression of their ancestors,
nor imitate them; and that the children of wicked parents may not be evil, or
worse and more miserable than their parents.
Obj. 7. But it is said, Ez. 18:20, that the son shall
not bear the iniquity of the father; therefore it is unjust that posterity
should endure punishment for the Sin of Adam. Ans. The son shall not, indeed,
bear the iniquity of the father, nor make satisfaction for his transgression, if
he does not approve of it, nor imitate it, but condemns and avoids it. But we
justly suffer on account of the sin of Adam: 1. Because all of us approve of,
and follow his transgression. 2. Because the offence of Adam is also ours; for
we were all in Adam when he sinned, as the Apostle testifies: "We have all
sinned in him." (Rom. 5:12.) 3. Because the entire nature of Adam became guilty;
and as we have proceeded from his very substance,--being, as it were, a part of
him,-we must also necessarily be guilty ourselves. 4. Because Adam had received
the gifts of God upon the condition that he would also impart them unto us, if
he retained them; or lose them for us also, if he lost them. Hence it is, that
when Adam lost these gifts, he did not merely lose them for himself, but also
for all his posterity.
Obj. 8. All sin implies an exercise of the will. But
infants are not capable of such an exercise of the will as is necessary, in
order to the commission of sin. Therefore they cannot be said to commit sin.
Ans. The whole argument is conceded, as far as it has respect to actual sin, but
not as it relates to original sin, which consists.in the depravity of our
nature. Again, we deny what is affirmed in the minor proposition, because
infants are not destitute of the power of willing; for although they may not be
able to will sin as something that is actually done, yet they do will in
inclination.
Obj. 9. The corruption and evils of our nature rather
deserve pity than censure and punishment. Aristotle himself declares: "That no
man censures the defects which attach themselves to our nature." Original sin is
a defect and corruption of our nature. Therefore it does not deserve punishment.
Ans. The major proposition is true of such evils as are brought upon us, not by
our negligence or wickedness, as if any one should be born blind, or become so
by disease, or by a stroke from another. Such an one would indeed deserve to be
pitied, rather than upbraided. But evils which we have all wickedly brought upon
ourselves, as is the case with original sin, are justly deserving of censure, as
Aristotle also testifies, when he adds: "But every one finds fault with such an
one as becomes blind by excess of wine, or any other wicked action." So much
concerning original sin.
Of Actual Sin, and the remaining distinctions of Sin, with its causes and
effects.
Actual sin includes all those actions which are
opposed to the law of God, whether they be such as have respect to the
understanding, will, and heart, or to the external deportment of our lives, as
to think, to will, to follow, and to do that which is evil; and an omission of
those things which the law of God commands, as to be ignorant of, not to will,
to shun and omit that which is good. The division of sin into sins of commission
and omission is properly in place here.
The second division of sin. This distinction has respect to sin as
reigning, and not reigning. By reigning sin we understand that form of sin to
which the sinner makes no resistance through the grace of the Holy Spirit. He is
therefore exposed to everlasting death, unless he repent and obtain forgiveness
through Christ. Or it includes every sin which is not deplored, and to which the
grace of the Holy Spirit makes no resistance, and on account of which he in whom
it reigns is exposed to everlasting punishment, not only according to the order
of divine justice, but also according to the nature of the thing itself. The
following passages of Scripture refer to this distinction of sin: "Let not sin
reign in your mortal bodies." "He that committeth sin," that is, he who sins
habitually, willfully, and with delight, "is of the devil." (Rom. 6:12. 1 John
3:8.) It is called reigning sin, because it gratifies, and enslaves those who
are the subjects of it, and also because it holds dominion over the man in whom
it reigns, and exposes hith to eternal condemnation. All the sins of men in
their unregenerate state are of this character. There are also some sins of this
description in those who have been regenerated, such as errors in the
ground-work of faith, and such offences as are against the conscience, which,
unless they are repented of, are inconsistent with an hssurance of the
forgiveness of sins, and true christian comfort. That those who are regenerate
may be guilty of sin under this form, the lamentable fall of such holy men as
Aaron and David abundantly testifies. <hint>Those objections which are commonly
brought against what is here advanced, may be found in Ursini vol. 1, page
207.</hint>
Sin which does not thus reign, is that which the
sinner resists by the grace of the Holy Spirit. It does not, therefore, expose
him to eternal death, because he has repented and found favor through Christ.
Such sins are disordered inclinations and unholy desires, a want of
righteousness, and many sins of ignorance, of omission, and of infirmity, which
remain in the godly as long as they continue in this life; but which they,
nevertheless, acknowledge, deplore, hate, resist, and earnestly pray may be
forgiven them for the sake of Christ, the Mediator, saying, forgive us our
debts. Hence the godly retain their faith and consolation, notwithstanding they
are not free from these sins. "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,
and the truth is not in us." "It is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth
in me." "There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, who walk
after the Spirit." "Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret
faults." (1 John 1:8. Rom. 7:18; 8:1. Ps. 19:13.)
The
common distinction of sin into mortal and venial may be referred to
this division. For although every sin in its own nature is mortal, by which we
mean, that it deserves eternal death, yet reigning sin may be properly so
called, inasmuch as he who perseveres in it will at length be overtaken by
destruction. But it becomes venial sin, that is, it does not call for eternal
death, when it does not reign in the regenerate who resist it by the grace of
God; and this takes place, not because it merits pardon in itself, or does not
deserve punishment, but because it is freely forgiven those that believe on
account of the satisfaction of Christ, and is not imputed to them unto
condemnation, as it is said: "There is no condemnation to them that are in
Christ Jesus." (Rom. 8:1.) When thus understood, the distinction of mortal and
venial sin may be retained; but not when it is understood in the sense in which
the Romish priests use it, as if that were mortal sin which deserves eternal
death on account of its greatness, and that venial which does not deserve
eternal death on account of its smallness, but merely some temporal punishment.
Hence we would prefer, in the place of mortal and venial sin, the distinction
which we have made of sin into reigning, and not reigning, and that for the
following reasons: 1. Because the terms mortal and venial are ambiguous and
obscure. All sins are mortal in their own nature. The apostle John also calls
the sin against the Holy Ghost mortal, or unto death. 2. Because the Scriptures
do not use these terms, especially venial sin. 3. Because of the errors of the
Papists, who call those sins venial which are small and do not deserve eternal
death, whilst the Scriptures declare: "Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the
words of this law to do them." "Whosoever shall offend in one point, is guilty
of all." "The wages of sin is death." "Whoso shall break one of these
commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the
kingdom of God." (Deut. 27:26. James 2:10. Rom. 6:23. Matt. 5:19.) In a word,
every sin in its own nature is mortal, and deserves eternal death. But it
becomes venial, that is, it does not work eternal death in the regenerate,
because their sins have been freely pardoned for the sake of Christ.
The third division of sin. There is sin which is against the
conscience, and sin which is not against the conscience. Sin against the
conscience is, when any one knowing the will of God does, with design and
purpose, that which is contrary thereto; or it is that sin which is committed by
those who sin knowingly and willingly, as did David, when he committed the sin
of adultery and murder. Sin not against the conscience is, when any one does any
thing contrary to the law of God, ignorantly or unwilllngly; or it is that which
is indeed known to be sin, and deplored by the sinner, but which he cannot
perfectly avoid in this life, as original sin, and many sins of ignorance, of
omission, and infirmity. For we omit many things that are good, and do many that
are evil, being suddenly overcome by infirmity, as Peter was, when by the force
of temptation he denied Christ, knowingly, indeed, but not willingly. Hence he
wept so bitterly, and did not lose his faith entirely, according to the promise
of Christ: "I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not." (Luke 22:32.) This
was not reigning sin, much less the sin against the Holy Ghost; because Peter
loved Christ no less when he denied him than when he wept over his sin, although
his love did not at the time shew itself an account of his fear, excited by the
dangerous circumstances in which he was placed. Such was also the sin which Paul
acknowledged and lamented, when he said: "The good, that I would, I do not; but
the evil, which I would not, that I do." (Rom. 7:19.) his blasphemy and
persecution of the church were likewise sins of ignorance, for says he: "I did
it ignorantly in unbelief, and therefore obtained mercy." (1 Tim. 1:13.)
The fourth division of sin. There is sin which is
unpardonable--sin against the Holy Ghost, and unto death: and there is also
pardonable sin--sin which is not against the Holy Ghost, nor unto death. The
Scriptures speak of this distinction of sin in Matt. 12:31. Mark 3:29. 1 John
5:16. By unpardonable sin, or the sin against the holy Ghost, and unto death, is
meant a denial of, and a willful opposition to, the acknowledged truth of God,
in connection with his will and works, concerning which the mind has been fully
enlightened and convinced by the testimony of the Holy Ghost; all of which
proceeds, not from fear or infirmity, but from a determined hatred to the truth,
and from a heart filled with bitter malice. This sin God punishes with perpetual
blindness, so that those who are guilty of it never repent, and consequently
obtain no pardon. It is called unpardonable, not because its greatness exceeds
the value of Christ's merit, but because he who commits it is punished with
total blindness, and does not receive the gift of repentance. It is a sin of a
peculiarly aggravated nature, and is, therefore, followed by a punishment in
accordance with its character, which punishment is final blindness and
impenitency. And where there is no repentance, there is no forgiveness obtained.
"Whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him,
neither in this world, neither in the world to come." "But he that shall
blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of
eternal damnation." (Matt. 12:32. Mark 3:29.)
It is called the sin against the Holy Ghost, not that
any one may commit an offence against the Holy Ghost which is not at the same
time an offence against the Father and the Son, but by a significant form of
speech, inasmuch as it is in an especial manner committed against the Holy
Ghost, that is, against his peculiar and immediate office and work, which
consists in the enlightening of the mind.
It is called by the Apostle John a sin unto death, not because it
alone is a mortal sin, and deserves death, but, as has just been remarked,
because it especially merits death, and because those who are guilty of it will
most assuredly die, seeing that they never repent, or obtain forgiveness. The
Apostle John, therefore, does not desire that we should pray for it; because it
is in vain that we ask God to grant the pardon of it. The Scriptures also speak
of this sin in other places, as in Heb. 6:4-8; 10:26-29. Tit. 3:10-11.
Certain Rules to be observed in relation to the Sin against the Holy Ghost.
Sin that is pardonable, or not against the Holy
Ghost, is any sin of which men may repent, and obtain forgiveness.
The fifth division of sin. There is that which is sin per se, and
that which becomes sin by accident. Those things which are sins of themselves,
and in their own nature, are those inclinations, desires and actions which are
contrary to, and forbidden by, the law of God. Yet they are not sins, in as far
as they are mere activities, or in respect to God, who moves all things (for
motions, in as far as they are such, are good in themselves, and from God, in
whom we live, move, and have our being); but in respect to us they are sins, in
as far as they are committed by us contrary to the law of God; in which sense
they are all in, and according to their own nature sins.
Those things which are sins by accident, are the
actions of hypocrites, and such as have not been regenerated, which, although
they have been prescribed and commanded by God, are nevertheless displeasing to
him, inasmuch as they do not proceed from faith, and a desire to glorify God.
The same thing may be said of indifferent actions, which are performed and
attended with shame. "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin." "Unto them that are
defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure." "Without faith it is impossible to
please God." (Rom. 14:23. Tit. 1:15. Heb. 11:6.)
All the virtues, therefore, of the unregenerate, such
as the chastity of Scipio, the bravery of Julius Caesar, the fidelity of
Romulus, the justice of Aristides, &c., although they are in themselves good,
and commanded by God, yet they are nevertheless sins by accident, and hateful to
God, both because the persons by whom they are done do not please him, not being
in a state of reconciliation, and also because they are not done in the manner,
nor with the design which God requires; that is, they do not proceed from faith,
and are not done for the glory of God. These conditions are so necessary in
every good work, that without them our best actions are sinful; as the prayers,
the alms, the sacrifices, &c., of hypocrites and the wicked are sins; because
they do not spring from faith, and are not done out of regard to the glory of
God. "hypocrites give their alms in the synagogues, and in the streets, that
they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward." "He
that killeth an ox, is as if he slew a man," &c. (Matt. 6:2. Is. 66:3.)
There is, therefore, a great difference between the
virtues of the regenerate and the unregenerate. For, 1. The good works of the
regenerate proceed from faith, and are pleasing to God; but it is different with
the works of the unregenerate. 2. The regenerate do all things to the glory of
God; the unregenerate and hypocrites act with reference to their own glory. 3.
The actions of the regenerate are connected with a sincere desire to obey God;
the unregenerate and hypocrites exhibit only an outward profession, without
inward obedience. Their virtues are, therefore, not such in reality; they are
nothing more than shadows, and faint resemblances of that which is truly good.
4. The imperfection of the works of the regenerate is covered by the
satisfaction of Christ, and the corruption which is still inherent in them is
not imputed unto thep, nor is it objected to them that they defile the gifts of
God by their sins; but the virtues of the unregenerate which are good in
themselves, are and remain sins by accident, and are defiled by many other
crimes. 5. The good works of the unregenerate are honored merely with temporal
rewards, and that not because they are pleasing to God, but that he may thus
invite and encourage them, and others to such honesty and external deportment as
is necessary for the well-being of the human race; but God accepts the works of
the righteous for the sake of Christ, and graciously crowns them with temporal
and eternal rewards, as it is said: "Godliness is profitable unto all things,
having the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." (1
Tim. 4:8.) Finally, the unregenerate, by performing works commanded by God,
obtain a mitigation of punishment, that they may not with other wicked persons
suffer more grievously in this life; but the righteous do these things, not only
that their sufferings may be alleviated, but also that they may be entirely
freed there from. Obj. Those things which are sins ought not to be done. The
works of the unregenerate, although they are good in the estimation of men and
the civil law, are nevertheless sins. Therefore they ought not to be done. Ans.
There is here a fallacy of accident. The major proposition is true of those
things which are sins in themselves; the minor of those which are sins by
accident. Those things now which are sins in themselves ought to be strictly
avoided; but those which are sins by accident ought' not to be omitted, but
amended and performed in the manner and for the end for which God has commanded.
But this external discipline and conformity to the
law is necessary even on the part of those who have not been regenerated. 1. On
account of the command of God. 2. That they may escape the punishment which
follows the violation of outward propriety. 3. That the peace and well-being of
society at large may be preserved. Lastly, that the way to repentance may not be
shut up by perseverance in a course of open transgression.
There is likewise a great difference between the sins
of the regenerate and the unregenerate. For, as we have already shown,
especially under the second division of this subject, there are many remains of
sin still found in those who have been renewed by the Holy Spirit; such as
original sin, and many actual sins of ignorance, of omission, and infirmity,
which they nevertheless acknowledge, lament, and strive against, so that they do
not lose a good conscience, nor a sense of the divine forgiveness. There are
also some who fall into errors which oppose the very foundation of their faith,
or who sin against conscience, on account of which they lose the consciousness
of their acceptance with God, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, who, were they
to continue therein to the end of their lives, would be condemned, and rejected
of God; but they do not perish, for the reason that they are led to see the
error of their ways, and thus brought to repentance.
IV.
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF SIN?
That God is not the cause of sin, is proven, 1. From
the testimony of Scripture: "God saw every thing that he had made, and behold it
was very good." "Thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness." (Gen.
1:31. Ps. 5:4.) 2. God himself is supremely and perfectly good and holy, and
cannot therefore be the author of evil. 3. God forbids all manner of sin in his
law. 4. God punished most severely all sin, which he could not consistently do
if it had its origin in him. 5. God would not destroy his own image in man. From
these considerations it is evident that the origin of sin is not to be
attributed to God.
But the proper, and in itself efficient cause of sin,
is the will of devils and men, by which they freely fell from God, and deprived
themselves of his image. "Through envy the devil brought death into the world."
(Wisd. 2:24.) But death is the punishment of sin. "Ye are of your father the
devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do: he was a murderer from the
beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he
speaketh a lie he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar, and the father of it."
"He that committeth sin is of the devil, for the devil sinneth from the
beginning. For this purpose the son of God was manifested, that he might destroy
the works of the devil." "By one man sin entered into the world." (John 8:44. 1
John 3:8. Rom. 5:12.)
The cause, therefore, of the first sin, or of the
fall of our first parents in Paradise, was the devil tempting and urging man to
sin; and the will of man freely separating itself from God, and falling in with
the suggestions of the tempter. This fall of Adam is the efficient cause of
original sin both in himself and in his posterity. "By one man's disobedience
many were made sinners." The preceding cause of all actual sins in posterity, is
original sin. "It is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me." "When
lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin." (Rom. 7:17. James 1:14.) Those
objects which entice men to sin may be regarded as accidental or casual motives.
"Sin, taking occasion by the commandments, wrought in me all manner of
concupiscence." (Rom. 7:8.) The devil and wicked men are the cause of sin in and
of themselves. Preceding actual sins are the causes of those which follow, for
the Scriptures teach that God punishes sin with sin, and that sins which follow
are the punishments of those that precede: " God gave them up to uncleanness,
through the lusts of their own hearts; working that which is unseemly, and
receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet."
"Therefore God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie."
(Rom. 1:24, 27. 2 Thes. 2:11.) But as man in his wisdom (so great is his
insolence) is accustomed to frame various arguments, for the purpose of throwing
the cause of sin from himself upon God, and so free himself from blame, we must
speak more fully of the causes of sin, and refute the vain pretences by which
men are wont to justify themselves.
There are some who pretend to find the origin of sin
in their destiny, as revealed by the stars, saying, We have sinned because we
were born under an unlucky planet. Others, when rebuked for their sins, reply,
Not we, hut the devil is the cause of the wicked deeds we have committed.
Others, throwing aside all excuses, cast the blame directly upon God, saying,
God willed it thus; for if he had not willed it, I had not sinned. Others,
again, say, in extenuation of their sins, God was able to prevent me from doing
that which was wrong, and as he did not restrain me, therefore, he himself is
the author of my sin.
With these, and similar pretences, men have often,
(for it is no new thing,) sharpened their blasphemous tongues against God. Our
first parents, when they had sinned, and God charged their crime upon them,
endeavored to throw the blame of their wicked deed from themselves upon others,
nor did they honestly confess the truth. Adam threw it, not so much upon his
wife, as upon God himself. "The woman, said he, whom thou gavest to be with me,
she gave me of the tree, and I did eat ;" as if he would say, I had not sinned,
except thou hadst joined her to me. (Gen. 3:12.) The woman charged the evil deed
wholly to the devil, saying, "The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat." (Gen.
3:13.)
These are the false, impious, and detestable
conclusions of wicked men in regard to the origin of sin, by which great
reproach is cast upon the majesty, truth, and justice of God. Nor is the nature
of man the cause of sin, because God created it good, according as it is said:
"God saw all things which he had made, and behold it was very good." (Gen.
1:31.) Sin is an adventitious, or accidental quality, which attaches itself to
man in consequence of the fall, and not a substantial property; although it
became natural after the fall, and is called so correctly by Augustine, because
we are now all born in sin, and are the children of wrath, even as others. But
these things must be more largely considered.
Here we have the beginning of evil, the devil; and
that which moved the will of man, viz: the false praise and commendation of the
devil, and therefore, a manifest lie; and the pleasant and attractive appearance
of the tree. Hence, Adam and Eve did, of their own choice and free will, what
they did, being deceived by the hope of obtaining greater and more excellent
wisdom, which the seducer had falsely and deceptiously promised.
We conclude, therefore, that sin had its origin, not
in God, who forbids what is evil, but in the devil, and the free choice of man,
which was corrupted through the falsehood of Satan. Hence, the devil, and the
perverted will of man following him, are to be regarded as the true cause of
sin. This evil now flows over from our first parents, into all their posterity,
so that sin does not take its rise from any other source, than from ourselves,
from our perverted judgment and depraved will, together with the suggestion of
the devil. For an evil root, or principle, such as the fall of our first
parents, brings forth of itself, a corrupt and rotten branch, corresponding with
its own nature, which satan now also by his fraud and lies, cultivates just as
plants; but it is all in vain that he should so labor, if we do not offer
ourselves to him to be moulded according to his will. That is called original
sin which flows from the original fountain, viz: from our first parents, into
all their posterity, by propagation, or generation. We bring this sin with us in
our nature out of our mother's womb, when we are born into the world. "I was
born in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." (Ps. 51:7.) And Christ
thus speaks of the devil: "He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not
in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he
speaketh of his own; for he is a liar, and the father of it." (John 8:44.)
Obj. 1. Satan was created by God; therefore, his
malice must also be from him. Ans. We deny the antecedent. The devil was made
satan or an adversary, not by God, for he created him a good angel; but by
voluntary apostacy. Hence, it is said that he abode not in the truth, from which
we may infer that he must have stood in the truth, prior to his fall.
Obj. 2. God created Adam; and, therefore, the sin of
Adam. Ans. There is here a fallacy of accident, in attributing to God the
creation of an accidental and accessory evil, in the place of that which is
good. Sin is not natural; but it is a corruption of the nature of man, which God
created good; for God made man good; but man, by the instigation of the devil,
deprived himself of the gifts which he had received from God, and corrupted
himself.
Obj. 3. But the will and power which Adam possessed,
was from God. Therefore, sin, which is committed by this will, must also be from
God. Ans. There is here, again, a fallacy of accident, for the will of Adam was
not the cause of sin, in as far as it was from God; but in as far as it of its
own accord inclined to the word of the devil. God did not give to man the will
and power of doing evil, for he strictly forbade and denounced it in his law.
But Adam abused and perverted the will and power which he had received from God,
in as much as he did not devote them to the purposes for which they Were given.
The prodigal son received money from his father, not that he should waste it in
riotous living, but that he might have as much as would be sufficient for his
necessity. Wherefore, when he wickedly squandered that which he had received
from his father, and was reduced to starvation, it was not the fault of the
father from whom he had received it, but it resulted from the abuse of what he
had received.
Obj. 4. God made man fallible; nor did he establish
him in the goodness in which he created him. Therefore, it was according to his
will that man sinned. Ans. The Scriptures rebuke and put to silence this
frowardness of men wickedly curious, saying, "Who art thou that repliest against
God." "Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker." (Rom. 9:20. Is. 45:9.) Unless
man had been created fallible, there would have been no praise attaching itself
to his work, or virtue; for he would have been good from necessity. And what if
it had been proper that man should have been thus created? The very nature of
God required it to be thus. God does not give his glory to any creature. Adam is
a man, and not God. And as God is good, so is he also just. He does good to men,
hut he wills that they be obedient and grateful to him. He bestowed innumerable
benefits upon man; therefore, it behooved him to be thankful, obedient, and
subject to God, who has declared, in his law, what would be pleasing to him, and
what would not, saying, "Of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt
not eat, lest thou die." (Gen. 2:17.) As if he would say, thou shalt have
respect to me, adhere to me, serve and obey me; thou shalt not ask and seek
rules of good and evil from any one else than from me; thou shalt thus show
thyself obedient to me.
To this, it is objected : God foreknew the fall of
man, which he might have prevented, if he had not willed it; but he did not
prevent it. Therefore, Adam sinned by the will and fault of God. Ans. An answer
has already been returned to this objection; yet we may remark, in addition to
what we have said, that it does not necessarily follow from the foreknowledge of
God, that man was compelled to fall. A certain wise father did, from some
particular signs, foresee that his degenerate son, at some subsequent time,
would be thrust through with a sword; nor does his fore knowledge deceive him;
for he is slain for fornication. But no one believes that he is thus slain
because the father foresaw that he would come to a miserable end; but because he
is a fornicator. Ambrose thus speaks of the murder of Cain: "God certainly
foreknew to what his rage would lead him when excited and exasperated; yet he
was not on this account urged to the deed which he perpetrated by the exercise
of his own will, as by a necessity, to sin; because, in his foreknowledge, God
cannot be deceived." And Augustin says: " God is a just revenger of those things
which he is not the wicked perpetrator."
V.
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF SIN?
Having defined and considered what sin is, and whence
it proceeds, we are now prepared to investigate the effects which necessarily
follow the transgression of the divine law; a knowledge of which is of great
importance to a proper understanding of the magnitude of the evil of sin. These
effects are temporal and eternal punishments; and because God often punishes
sins with sins, subsequent transgressions may be said to be the effectsof
preceding sins. (Rom. 1:24. 2 Thes. 2:11. Matt. 13:12.) That this may be the
better understood, the following explanations are especially necessary.
All sins, therefore, whatever may be their character,
deserve, in their own nature, eternal death, which is most plainly affirmed in
these and similar passages of God's word. "Cursed be he that confirmeth," &c.
"Whosoever shall offend in one point, he is guilty of all." "Thou shalt by no
means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing." (Deut.
27:26. James 2:10. Matt. 5:26.)
Yet all sins are not equal. They differ according to
certain degrees, even in the judgment of God; as it is said: "All sins shall be
forgiven unto the Sons of men, and blasphemies; but he that shall blaspheme
against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness." "He that delivered me unto thee
hath the greater sin." Mark 3:28-29. John 19:11.) So there will also be degrees in the punishments of hell: for the punishments of the lost will be in proportion to the sins which they have committed; although, as it respects the duration of these punishments, all will be eternal. "That servant which knew his Lord's will, and did not according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes." "It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you." (Luke 12:47. Matt. 11:22.)
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