them, but had envy at them, that they should have knowledge of good and ill (and that for envy he forbade them to eat of that fruit that should give them such great knowledge), they did no more trust God, but began to trust themselves, and did study to care and provide for themselves. Secondarily, when they no more trusted God, they could no more find in their hearts to love him, but began to dote upon themselves, and to think that they had no better friend neither in heaven nor earth than their own selves. And after that they had thus put their trust and confidence in themselves, and dotingly loved all that was their own, by and by followed fear and concupiscence for by and by they began to hate and eschew all things that were painful or unpleasant to the flesh, and dotingly to lust and long for such things as were delectable and pleasant to the flesh. Hereby you perceive, good children, how our first parents, Adam and Eve, poisoned with the venom of the serpent, were cast into four horrible vices or diseases. The first is, that they did not trust in God. The second, that they did not love God. The third, that they did not fear him, but a cruel tyrant. The fourth, that they were replenished with concupiscence, and evil desires, lusts and appetites. And these be the roots of original sin, out of the which all other sins d spring and grow. So Adam and Eve had a very great fall, that fell from God's benediction, fa 2 vour, and love, into God's curse, anger, and displeasure; that fell from original justice into original sin, by the which fall all the strength and powers both of their bodies and souls were sore decayed and corrupted. And as our first parents, Adam and Eve, were infected and corrupted, even so be we, that be their children. For as we see, by daily experience, that commonly gouty parents beget gouty children; and if the father and mother be infected with leprosy, we see commonly that the children born between them have the same disease so likewise; as our first parents, Adam and Eve, did not put their trust in God, no more do they that be carnally born of them. And as they loved not God, so their children love him not: and as they followed their own concupiscence, lusts, and appetites, and not the will of God, even so do all their issue. So that all their posterity upon earth be sinners, even in their mother's wombs: for they have not their trust in God, they love not God, they have not a fatherly fear unto him, they be full of ill lusts, and appetites, and desires, as you have heard, good children, in the 9th and 10th commandments. And for this cause the Scripture doth say, that "all we are conceived and born in sin," and St. Paul saith, "that by nature we be the children of God's wrath." So that we all should everlastingly be damned if Christ by his death had not redeemed us. KING EDWARD THE SIXTH'S CATECHISM. Scholar. It is true forsooth: for they do not now so shine, as they did in the beginning, before man's fall: forasmuch as man, by the darkness of sins and mist of errors, hath corrupted the brightness of this image. In such sort hath God in his wrath wreaked him upon the sinful man. Master. But I pray thee, tell me, wherefore came it thus to pass? Scho. I will shew you. When the Lord God had made the frame of this world, he himself planted a garden, full of delight and pleasure, in a certain place eastward, and called it Eden. Wherein, beside other passing fair trees, not far from the midst of the garden, was there one, especially called, the tree of life, and another, called the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Herein the Lord, of his singular love, placed man; and committed unto him the garden to dress, and look unto: giving him liberty to eat of the fruits of all the trees of Paradise, except the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The fruit of this tree, if ever he tasted, he should without fail die for it. But Eve, deceived by the devil counterfeiting the shape of a serpent, gathered of the forbidden fruit: which was for the fairness to the eye to be desired; for the sweetness in taste to be reached at; and pleasant for the knowledge of good and evil: and she eat thereof, and gave unto her husband to eat of the same. For which doing, they both immediately died; that is to say, were not only subject to the death of the body, but also lost the life of the soul, which is righteousness. : And forthwith, the image of God was defaced in them; and the most beautiful proportion of righteousness, holiness, truth, and knowledge of God, was confounded, and in a manner utterly blotted out. There remained the earthly image, joined with unrighteousness, guile, fleshly mind, and deep ignorance of godly and heavenly things. Hereof grew the weakness of our flesh hereof came this corruption, and disorder of lusts and affections hereof came that pestilence: hereof came that seed and nourishment of sins, wherewith mankind is infected, and it is called sin original. Moreover, thereby nature was so corrupted, and overthrown, that unless the goodness and mercy of Almighty God had holpen us by the medicine of grace, even as in body we are thrust down into all wretchedness of death: so, must it needs have been, that all men of all sorts should be thrown into everlasting punishment, and fire unquenchable. NOWELL'S CATECHISM. Master. But tell me how this came to pass? kind. Thence came the horrible blindness of our minds and perverseness of our hearts. Thence came that crookedness and corruptness of all our affections and desires. Thence came that seedplot, as it were, a sink of all sins, with the faults whereof mankind is infected and tormented. Of which evil, learned Christians that have sought the proper and true name, have called it original sin. Mast. Doth mankind suffer the punishments of this sin in this life only? Scho. No but man's nature hath been so corrupted and destroyed with this active mischief, that if the goodness and mercy of Almighty God had not, with applying a remedy, holpen and relieved us in affliction, like as we fell in our wealth into all calamities, and in our bodies into all miseries of diseases and of death, so should we of necessity fall headlong into darkness and everlasting night, and into fire unquenchable, there, with all kind of punishment, to be perpetually tormented. And no marvel it is, that other creatures also incurred that pain which man deserved, for whose use they were created. And the whole order of nature being troubled, both in heaven and in earth, harmful tempests, barrenness, diseases, and infinite other evils, brake into the world, into which miseries and woes, beside the said native mischief, we by our many and great sins are most deservedly fallen. |