mankind. That is, the sin, and of the race. OTHERS. conveying to them a morally corrupt nature." "There is no morally corrupt nature, distinct from free, voluntary, sinful exercises. Adam had no such nature, and therefore could convey no such nature to his posterity." "God is the father of our spirits. The soul is not transmitted from father to son, by natural generation." "And if they did not derive their souls from him, they could not derive from him a morally corrupt nature, if he really possessed such a nature himself." "But if Adam conveyed neither sin, nor guilt, nor moral depravity to his descendants, by his first transgression, how then did that act of disobedience make them sinners? The only proper and direct answer to this question is, that God placed Adam as the public Head of his posteri ty, and determined to treat them according to his conduct." Syst. Vol. 1. p 309. "The disobedience of Adam decided the character of all his natural posterity; and rendered it certain, according to a divine revealed constitution, that they should be born, and rise into existence as moral agents, in disobedience and rebellion: and that the same moral corruption which then took place in his heart, should spread through the whole race of mankind. In this sense the sin of the first man carried in it the sin of all mankind, and contain-" Adam disobeyed the law of ed the seed, and was the found his Maker; and according to ation of all the moral corruption of the human race; as by this they were all constituted sinners." Syst. Vol. 1. p. 310. Adam was sentenced to all the natural evils of this life, and the death of the body, because he had sinned, but the separation of soul from body was no part the constitution under which he was placed, his first and single act of disobedience made all his posterity sinners; that is, it proved the occasion of their coming into the world unholy and sinful," or, "he proved the occasion of God's bringing all his posterity into the world in a state of moral depravity." father or mother, but the better to set forth the goodness of God towards him, he beginneth the confession of his own wickedness at his very begetting. Forasmuch as it is evident, that that was not peculiar to David alone, it followeth that the common estate of all mankind is noted under his examample. All we therefore that descend of unclean seed, are born infected with the contagion of sin, yea, before that we see the light of this life, we are in the sight of God filthy and spotted. For who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one." B. 2. ch. 1. sec. 5. "Original sin is the perverseness and corruption of our nature, which first maketh us guilty of the wrath of God, and OTHERS. ration, sinned in him and fell with him in that transgression." Larger Cat. Q. 22. "Original sin is conveyed from our parents unto their posterity by natural generation." Larger Cat. Q. 26. "We believe that through the disobedience of Adam, original sin is extended to all mankind; which is a corruption of the whole nature, and an hereditary disease, wherewith infants themselves are infected in their mother's womb, and which produceth in man all sorts of sin, being in him as a root thereof; and therefore is so vile and abominable in the sight of God, that it is sufficient to condemn all mankind." Con. R. D. C. Art. 15. The Con. of the Waldenses declares, that " Originall sin is * Mr. Vincent says, in his explanation of the catechism, that the corrup tion of our nature "is conveyed by natural generation, in the union and conjunction of soul and body; the soul being destitute or void of original righteousness, is infected with this corruption as liquor is tainted, which is put into a tainted vessel." This, according to Hopkinsianism, is an odd conceit, because God creates the soul of every child; because no soul proceeds even instrumentally from earthly parents, and because there is no contact between body and spirit. If the body could affect the soul, it could not pollute it, because there is no sin in blood, skin and bones. With respect to the want of original righteousness, it is no more criminal in man, than in a toad, or spider, or any other animal. He who gives has a right to withhold, and it is not our fault, that God did not give us positive righteousness at the birth, any more, than that he did not bestow on all the mental powers of Paul. In short, it is plain, that no being can be a sinner, until he has sinned. QUERY. Is this Calvinism, or Pelagianism? HOPKINS, of the punishment originally threatened. Syst. Vol. I. p. 275 and 313. "It is not to be supposed that the offence of Adam is imputed to them to their condemnation, while they are considered as in themselves, in their own persons, innocent: or that they are guilty of the sin of their first father, antecedent to their own sinfulness.” Syst. Vol. 1. p. 319. "This sin which takes place in the posterity of Adam, is not properly distinguished into original and actual sin, because it is all really actual, and there is, strictly speaking, no other sin but actual sin. As soon as sin exists in a child of Adam, though an infant, it consists in motion, or inclination, of the same nature and kind with sin in adult persons." Syst. Vol. 1. p. 328. Children are only born in sin, in this respect: they are born under such a divine constitution, that they begin to sin, as soon as they begin to act as moral agents; and their exercises are produced as Adam's were, by God, yet so as to be free, because they will what they will. This is the true doctrine of original sin. Syst. Vol. 1. p. 325 and 330. AND OTHERS. "God constituted the connexion between him and his posterity, to regulate HIS OWN conduct, and to accomplish HIS own designs." "The truth is, there was neither justice, nor injustice, in God's appointing Adam our public head. It was an act of mere sovereignty.” "It appears from the leading sentiments in this discourse, that ADAM WAS THE ONLY PER son who committed, AND WHO WAS GUILTY OF ORIGINAL SIN." Eve committed her first sin, before Adam sinned, and all men commit their first sin; but Adam's first sin, is called original sin, because God constituted it, in his own divine mind, the originating sin to all mankind. Emmons' 13th Sermon. Men never act from any original corruption, for God "puts forth a positive influence to make them act in every instance of their conduct.” Emmons, p. 245. Neither the want of original righteousness, nor the mere want of conformity, is criminal in any rational creature. sim. Emmons, p. 260, 261, et pas "The fall has neither impaired, nor destroyed any of the powers or faculties of men. Mass. M. Magazine, p. 369, of Vol. 3. then also bringeth forth works in us, which the scripture calleth the works of the flesh Gal. v. 19. Therefore these two points are distinctly to be marked, namely, that we being in all parts of our nature defiled and corrupted are already for such corruption only, holden worthily condemned and convicted before God. to whom nothing is acceptable but righteousness, innocency and cleanness. Yea, and very infants themscives bring their own damnation with them from their mother's womb. Who, although they have not brought forth the fruits of their iniquity, yet have the seed thereof enclosed within them. Yea, their whole nature is a certain seed of sin; therefore it cannot but be hateful and abominable to God." B. 4. ch. 15. sec. 10. By the fall, man lost all ability to will good: (B. 2. ch. 2. sec. 1.) and became corrupt inmind, will, body, and all his powers so that being free to evil, and having sufficient knowledge to render him inexcusable; he has neither the ability nor disposition to perform a OTHERS. naturally engendered in us and hereditaire." "All the offspring of Adam is infected with this contagion, which we call original sin, that is, a stain spreading itself by propagation.” Con. Prot. French Churches. "All men since the fall of our first parents, which are borne by the coupling together of male and female, doe together with their birth bring with them originall sinne.” Con. of Saxony. "By which transgression, commonly called original sin, was the image of God utterly defaced in man." Con. C. Scot A. D. 1581. "All men have sinned in Adam." Canons R. D. C. Head 1. Art. 1. "The sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell, consisteth in the guilt of Adam's first sin, the want of that righteousness wherein he was created, and the corruption of his nature, whereby he is utterly indisposed and disabled." Larger Cat. Q. 25. Con. P. C. U. S. p 171, 172 and 238. "Originall sinne is a want of originall justice which ought to be in us.” Con. Saxony. "Our nature is so corrupt, 75 HOPKINS, By the fall, mankind have not lost any of their natural powers, or ability to obey: but they are infallibly subject to a total moral depravity, which consists entirely in their own voluntary exercises, and is their own sin: or, by a divine constitution they have only a sinful choice, until they are regenerated, or are made the subjects of the first benevolent choice.f AND OTHERS. The fall has not so disabled men, but that " they can love God, repent of sin, believe in Christ, and perform every religious duty, as well as they can think, or speak, or walk." Emmons, p. 246. as "Men have lost none of their ability to obey his commands. by the fall.” "They are really able to obey every divine Syst. Vol. 1. p. 325 to 443. command, as Adam was, when he came out of the forming hand of his Maker." There is neither corruption of nature, nor blindness of mind, nor defect in any of the powers of the soul, consequent upon the apostacy, aside from the corrupt volitions which constitute the heart. M. M. Mag. Vol. 3. p. 369. "Impenitent sinners are as really possessed of strength or capacity to love and serve God as saints. Their power or ca Syst. Vol. 1. Part 2. ch. 4. pacity to obey the divine com and Part 1. ch. 4. mands, is as great as to disobey them." Mass. M. Mag. Vol. 3. p. 415. * A distinction is observed by Hopkins and others, between total and universal depravity. Total moral depravity is an entire depravation of the heart or affections; and this the Hopkinsians admit: but universal depravity means the defilement of the understanding, conscience, and all the natural powers of the soul, as well as of the cordial affections; which they deny. It is granted, however, that the natural, intellectual faculties, which are created in us, as perfect as in Adam, are often perverted by the heart: and the rays of light, which would otherwise come directly to our minds from the ORB OF TRUTH, are refracted, by the base medium interposed by the affections. Syst. vol. 1. p 341 and 342. |