An Help for the Ignorant, WSC Question 18
By John Brown of Haddington
Exposition of the Westminster Shorter Catechism
QUEST. 18. Wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate where into man fell?
ANSW. The sinfulness of that estate where into man fell, consists in the guilt of Adam’s first sin, the want of original righteousness, and the corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called original sin, together with all actual transgressions which proceed from it.
Q. How many kinds of sin are there?
A. Two, original and actual.
Q. Wherein do these differ?
A. Original sin is the sin of our natures, and actual is the sin of our lives.
Q. What is original sin?
A. The sin that is conveyed to us by our parents from Adam, Romans 5.
Q. Why is this called original sin?
A. Because we have it from our conception and birth; and it is the fountain of all our actual sin, Psalm 51:5.
Q. How many parts does original sin consist of?
A. Three; the guilt of Adam’s first sin, the want [lack] of original righteousness, and the corruption of the whole nature: the first is called original sin imputed, and the two last original sin inherent.
Q. What sin of Adam’s are we guilty of?
A. His first sin only, Romans 5:16.
Q. Why are we guilty of this sin?
A. Adam committed it as our covenant-head and representative.
Q. How are we reckoned guilty of Adam’s first sin?
A. By imputation, Romans 5:19.
Q. What mean you by God’s imputing this sin to us?
A. His accounting it ours in law.
Q. Why is it in law accounted our sin?
A. Adam our representative is one with us in the eye of the law.
Q. How prove you that Adam’s first sin is imputed to his posterity?
A. The scripture declares, that by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners.
Q. Does the justice of God require the imputation of Adam’s first sin to his posterity?
A. Yes; as well as the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to believers.
Q. Why are not Adam’s other sins, as well as his first, imputed to us?
A. Because after he had broke the covenant of works by his first sin, he ceased to be our covenant-head.
Q. How then did the broken covenant of works bind mankind?
A. Every man stood bound for himself.
Q. What is the second part of original sin?
A. The want of original righteousness, Psalm 14.
Q. What do you understand by original righteousness?
A. That spiritual knowledge, righteousness, and holiness man was created with, Ecclesiastes 7:29.
Q. How do you prove that we naturally want [lack] this original righteousness?
A. The scripture affirms there is no man righteous, no not one, Romans 3:10-11.
Q. Why does God withhold this original righteousness when be creates our souls?
A. He as a righteous judge withholds it as the punishment of Adam’s first sin imputed to us, Isaiah 59:2.
Q. Why might not God create our souls holy under that guilt?
A. Because the guilt of Adam’s first sin necessarily subjects us to the punishment of spiritual death.
Q. Why might not God then leave them uncreated, rather than form them without original righteousness?
A. Besides other reasons, men must be brought into being, either to be saved by Christ, or to beget, or be useful to such as shall be saved, Isaiah 54:1.
Q. Does God then make any man out of a design to damn him?
A. No; God makes all things for his own glory; and when man will not glorify God by obedience, it is necessary God glorify himself in man’s punishment.
Q. How prove you the want of original righteousness is a sin?
A. It is a want of conformity to God’s law.
Q. Under what penalty does God’s law demand original righteousness?
A. Under the penalty of eternal wrath, Galatians 3:10.
Q. Is it not hard that God’s law should so rigorously demand original righteousness, when man cannot afford it?
A. No; for man lost it by his own fault.
Q. What is the third branch of our original sin?
A. The corruption of our whole nature, Isaiah 1.
Q. What do you understand by the corruption of nature?
A. It is that whereby all the powers of our soul, and members of our body, are indisposed to good, and defiled with, and disposed to evil, Isaiah 64:6. & 1:6.
Q. Whence [from where] do you prove that man’s nature is originally corrupted?
A. From scripture and experience.
Q. How does scripture prove it?
A. It declares, that being brought out of unclean things, we must be unclean; that of flesh we are born flesh; that we are begotten in the image of fallen Adam, and are shapen and conceived in sin, and by nature children of wrath, Job 14:4; John 3:6; Genesis 5:3; Psalm 51:5; Ephesians 2:3.
Q. How does experience prove our nature to be corrupted?
A. The flood of miseries upon infants, our universal and early inclinations to evil, and their breaking forth in opposition to the severest laws of God and men, and even to the strongest resolutions, and largest measures of grace here, and our natural readiness to imitate Adam in his first sin, show that our nature is corrupted.
Q. Wherein [in what] do we naturally imitate Adam in his first sin?
A. In our being more curious to know new things than to practise known duty; in our bias to evil because forbidden; in our inclination to hear what is vain or wicked; and easy following of evil counsel rather than good.
Q. In what other things do we imitate Adam’s sinful conduct?
A. In our anxious care for what is pleasant to our eyes or other senses, at the expence of our souls; in our discontentment with our lot; and hiding, excusing, extenuating [arguing that circumstances made sin necessary], or laying the blame of our sin upon others, etc.
Q. What about every man is corrupted with sin?
A. His whole man, soul and body, Isaiah 1:6.
Q. Wherein is our soul naturally corrupted?
A. In its understanding, will, conscience, affections, and memory, Isaiah 1; Psalm 14; Jeremiah 17.
Q. Wherewith [With what] is our understanding or mind corrupted?
A. With ignorance of, and opposition to spiritual truths; and with proneness to vanity, pride, and lies.
Q. Of what things is our mind naturally ignorant?
A. Of God, of Christ, and the way of salvation; and of the wickedness of our own heart and life, and our danger on account of it, Isaiah 1:3.
Q. Wherein does the darkness, blindness, and ignorance of men’s minds appear?
A. Few have found notions of divine truths, and fewer the saving knowledge of them; but the most part, even of such as have gospel-light, are like blind men, daily stumbling into sin, John 1:5.
Q. How does the natural opposition of our mind to divine truths appear?
A. In the difficulty there is to teach many the principles of religion, who quickly learn other things; and in men’s frequent apostasy from the truth, or living in such a manner as shows they do not believe what they know, Isaiah 28:9-10.
Q. How does the natural vanity of our mind appear?
A. In our early and general delight in folly, and in thinking on vain notions or projects, especially when engaged in the worship of God, Proverbs 22:15.
Q. How does the natural pride of man’s mind appear?
A. In men’s fondness of what makes them appear great or gay [showy]; and in their self-conceit, and unwillingness to believe what they really are, especially before God.
Q. Wherein does the natural proneness of our mind to lies and falsehood appear?
A. In our early and artfully devising lies; and loving to read, hear, or think of romances and fables, rather than the truths of God.
Q. Wherewith is our will naturally corrupted?
A. With a bias to every thing sinful, enmity against every thing good, and a perverseness with respect to our chief end, Romans 7:19 and 8:7.
Q. Wherein does our natural bias or strong inclination to evil appear?
A. In our early going astray from the path of duty; in the sudden expiring of our good motions and resolutions; and in the faint and imperfect religious service of believers themselves.
Q. Wherein does our natural averseness and enmity against that which is good appear?
A. In the frowardness [contrary; difficult to deal with] of children; the backwardness of our hearts to religious, and especially more secret and spiritual duties; and our frequent sinning over the belly of our convictions and conscience, Deuteronomy 29.
Q. What is our will naturally an enemy to?
A. To God, to Christ, and to the Holy Spirit.
Q. What of God is our will naturally an enemy to?
A. To his being, perfections, word, worship, etc.
Q. How does men’s natural enmity against the being and perfections of God appear?
A. In their secret wishing there was no God to give laws, or punish for sin; and in their profaning and abusing his name when in passion, and often deliberately, without any provocation.
Q. How does our natural enmity against the word of God appear?
A. In our perverting and opposing it; and improving its laws as irritations, and the gospel as an encouragement to sin, Jude 4.
Q. How does our natural enmity against the worship of God appear?
A. In our universal and early inclination to shift it, or disturb others in it; and in our encouraging drowsiness, vain and unseasonable thoughts, when engaged in it, 1 Samuel 21:7.
Q. What of Christ as Mediator is our will naturally an enemy to?
A. To all of Christ, particularly his offices of prophet, priest, and king, 1 Corinthins 1:23.
Q. How does our enmity against the prophetical office of Christ appear?
A. In our conceit of our own wisdom, however brutish we be; and in our shifting and despising the instructions of Christ.
Q. Wherein does our natural enmity against the priestly office of Christ appear?
A. In our high esteem of our own righteousness, seeking salvation by it in whole or in part; in men’s strong opposition to the doctrine of God’s free grace, and refusing to receive Christ as their only righteousness; and frequent rushing themselves upon eternal damnation, rather than be saved by him alone.
Q. Wherein does our natural enmity against Christ’s kingly office appear?
A. In our readiness to model his ordinances to our own taste, to rebel against his laws, and censure or oppose the discipline of his church.
Q. Against which of Christ’s offices have we the most open enmity?
A. Against his kingly office.
Q. Against which of Christ’s offices have we the strongest secret enmity?
A. Against his priestly office.
Q. How does that appear?
A. In our frequent resting in duties when we will not omit them [leave them out], Romans 10:3.
Q. Why have we the strongest enmity against the priestly office of Christ?
A. It is no way discovered by the light of our natural conscience, most clearly displays the glory of God, and the vileness of our own righteousness, and is the foundation of the other offices.
Q. Do not many desire salvation by Christ as a priest, that refuse obedience to him as a king?
A. The salvation such desire is not the salvation of Christ, but a salvation in sin, and through their own good works.
Q. Wherein lies the evil of desiring such a salvation?
A. It chiefly dishonours God, and debases the priestly office of Christ, by attempting to render it needless, nay, the strongest encouragement to sin.
Q. How does our natural [i.e. by our fallen nature] enmity against the Spirit of God appear?
A. In our violent resistance of his kind motions and operations on our heart and conscience, before or after conversion, Acts 7:51.
Q. Wherein does our natural perverseness with respect to our chief end appear?
A. In our making our own interests, real or imaginary, our chief end, rather than the glory of God, Zechariah 7:5.
Q. How are our affections naturally corrupted?
A. They are wrong placed, and in a wrong bent [wrong alignment or intention].
Q. How are they wrong placed?
A. These that should be placed on God, as love, joy, etc. are placed upon sin; and these that should be turned against sin, are turned against God, Romans 8:7.
Q. How are our affections naturally wrong bended?
A. Our right-placed affections, as love of parents, etc. are always either too strong, or too weak.
Q. How is our conscience naturally corrupted?
A. It is so blind as not duly to perceive God’s challenges and commands; and is easily bribed by carnal advantage, to call good evil, and evil good.
Q. How is our memory naturally corrupted?
A. It readily forgets what is good, while it firmly remembers what is wicked or trifling, Jeremiah 2:32.
Q. How are our bodily members corrupted with sin?
A. They are ready instruments of unrighteousness.
Q. What are our feet swift to?
A. To run Satan’s errands, and do mischief, Romans 3:15.
Q. What is our mouth naturally filled with?
A. Cursing and bitterness, Romans 3:14.
Q. What are our eyes most ready to behold?
A. Objects of vanity, wickedness, and lust.
Q. What are our ears most disposed to hear?
A. Error, folly, and filthiness, Proverbs 19:27.
Q. How does it appear that original sin is very heinous [wicked]?
A. From the death of so many infants; from believers deep grief on account of it; and from its more lasting and extensive nature than other sins, being the fountain of all actual guilt.
Q. Does God implant original sin inherent in us?
A. No; it flows from original sin imputed.
Q. How then is original sin conveyed to us?
A. By natural generation; we being degenerate plants of a strange vine, Psalm 51:5; Jeremiah 2.
Q. Do the saints, who are in part sanctified, convey as much natural corruption to their children as others?
A. Yes; for they beget children according to nature, not according to their grace, 1 Samuel 2:12 and 8:3.
Q. How should parents begetting their children such monsters of sin, and heirs of wrath, affect them?
A. It should stir them up to cry earnestly to God for early regenerating grace to their children, and to use all appointed means for their salvation.
Q. Whether do we make ourselves better or worse after our birth?
A. Much worse by our actual sin.
Q. What is actual sin?
A. The sin we daily commit in thought, word, and deed, Romans 3:9-21.
Q. How may actual sin be distinguished?
A , Into sins of omission and of commission.
Q. What understand you by a sin of omission?
A. Our neglecting to perform what God’s law requires.
Q. What mean you by a sin of commission?
A. Our doing what God’s law forbids.
Q. What connection has actual sin with original?
A. Original sin is the cursed root and fountain; and actual sin the branches, fruit, and stream.
Q. How may our lusts, by which our original sin worketh towards actual, be distinguished?
A. Into the lusts of our flesh, and the lusts of our spirit.
Q. Which are the lusts of the flesh?
A. These to which we are excited by the members of our body, as gluttony, drunkenness, uncleanness, etc.
Q. Which are the lusts of the mind or spirit?
A. These that have their principal seat in our souls, as pride, ambition, envy, malice, legality [legalism; works-religion], etc.
Q. How may our lusts, in respect of their power and influence, be distinguished?
A. Into subordinate and predominant lusts, Hebrews 12:1; Matthew 5:29, 30.
Q. What is a predominant lust?
A. That which chiefly rules over, and sways a person to sin.
Q. Have all men, or the same men at all times, the same lust predominant in them?
A. No.
Q. Whence does that proceed?
A. It proceeds from the different constitutions of their bodies, different ages, callings, opportunities, etc.
Q. By what marks may we know our predominant lust?
A. That sin we most delight in, are most ready to excuse, most easily tempted to, and into which we most frequently fall, is our beloved lust.
Q. What may we learn from the sinfulness of our natural estate?
A. That our best works, while unregenerate, are filthy rags before God; that it is a wonder God spares us a moment out of hell; and that except we be born again, we cannot enter into the kingdom of God.