The Marrow of Sacred Divinity - William Ames (1642)

1. THe beginning of bodily death in matter of losse, is either inward or outward.

2. Inward is the losse of the internall good things of the body, as of health and long life, Deut. 28. 21. 27. 35. 1 Cor. 11. 30. Mat. 9. 2.

3. Hence is mortality, as touching the state,⁵⁸ and neerest power to Death.

4. For this mortality is a dissolving or loosing of that band⁵⁹ wherewith the soule was joyned with the body.

5. The outward beginning of this Death in matter of losse is the losse of outward good things, whereby this life was either beautified or sustained.

6. Of the first kinde is. 1. Losse of dominion over the Creatures. The which after the Fall did put offor the greatest part that subjection towards man, to which they were made, and became his deadly enemies unlesse they be brought into order by the speciall providence of God, Iob 5. 22. 23. Be not afraid of the beasts of the Earth, For thou shalt be in covenant with the stones of the Field, and the beasts of the Field shall be at peace with thee. Hos. 2. 18. I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the Field. 2. That ignominy⁶⁰ which hee is subject to, both living and dead. Deut. 28. 20. 37.

7. Of the latter kinde is poverty, or the losse of those things which pertaine to food, raiment, and possessions. Deut. 28. 17. 18.

8. The beginning of this Death in matter of sence is also inward or outward.

9. Inward is in wearinesse, Gen. 3. 19. Paine, and diseases. Deut. 28. 35.

10. Outward, is in all those calamities to which the life of man it outwardly subject. Deut. 28. 25. 48.

11. The moderation,⁶¹ that appeared in this corporall punishment is touching inward, and outward things.

12. Touching inward things. In that man hath yet space, and commodity of life, granted to him by the goodnesse of God. Gen. 3. 6.

13. Touching outward things: in that he hath certaine remainders of dominion over the Creatures. Gen. 9. 2. Let the feare of you and the dread of you be upon all the beasts of the Earth, &c. So that although man by his sinne fell from all right which he had before, of using the Creatures to his benefit… yes… by grant and divine indulgence, hee may use them, and in that he… sins not, that lie doth simply use them, althoug he sinne in the manner of using: because so long as life is granted, and prolonged to him, with the same, there is together granted the use of those things, which are necessarily required unto life, and in a sort they are due to him.

Hence it is that although the Creatures were subject to vanity and a curse, for the sin of man. Gen. 3. 17. 18. Rom. 8. 20. 22. yet they are preserved in that estate, that they may supply the necessities of mans life.