N06399:138
The great Christian doctrine of original sin defended
The great Christian doctrine of original sin defended; evidences of it's [sic] truth produced, and arguments to the contrary answered. Containing, in particular, a reply to the objections and arguings of Dr. John Taylor, in his book, entitled, "The Scripture-doctrine of original sin proposed to free and candid examination, &c. / By the late Reverend and learned Jonathan Edwards, president of the College of New-Jersey. ; [Thirteen lines of quotations]The great Christian doctrine of original sin defended; evidences of it's [sic] truth produced, and arguments to the contrary answered. Containing, in particular, a reply to the objections and arguings of Dr. John Taylor, in his book, intitled, "The Scripture-doctrine of original sin proposed to free and candid examination, &c. / By the late Reverend and learned Jonathan Edwards, president of the College of New-Jersey. ; [Thirteen lines of quotations]
printed by S. Kneeland, 1758
The great Christian Doctrine of ORIGINAL SIN defended. › Part 1 › Chapter 1 › Section 5
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
The chief and most fundamental of all the Commands of the moral Law, requires us to love the Lord our God, with all our Hearts, and with all our Souls, with all our Strength, and all our Mind: that is plainly, with all that is within us, or to the utmost Capacity of our Nature: all that belongs it, or is comprehended within the utmost Extent or Capacity of our Heart and Soul, and Mind and Strength, is required. God is in Himself worthy of infinitely greater Love, than any Creature can exercise towards him: He is worthy of Love equal to his •••fections, which are infinite: God loves Himself with no greater Love than he is worthy of, when he loves himself infinitely: But we can give God no more than we have. Therefore, if we give him so much, if we love him to the utmost Extent of the Faculties of our Nature, we are exc•sed: But when what is proposed, is only that we should love him as much as our Capacity will allow, this Excuse of Want of Capacity ceases, and Obligation takes hold of us; and we are doubtless obliged to love God to the utmost of what is possible for us, with such Faculties, and such Opportunities and Advantages to know God, as we have. And 'tis evidently implied in this great Commandment of the Law, that our Love to God should be so great, as to have the most absolute Possession of all the Soul, and the perfect Government of all the Principles and Springs of Action that are in our Nature.
Tho' it is not easy, precisely to fix the Limits of Man's Capacity, as to Love to God; yet in general we may determine, that his Capacity of Love is coextended with his Capacity of Knowledge: The Exercise of the Understanding opens the Way for the Exercise of the other Faculty. Now, tho' we can't have any proper positive Understanding of God's infinite Excellency; yet the Capacity of the human Understanding is very great, and may be extended far. 'Tis needless to dispute, how far Man's Knowledge may be said to be strictly comprehensive ⟨p. 43⟩of Things that are very great, as of the Extent of the Expanse of the Heavens, or of the Dimensions of the Globe of the Earth; and of such a great Number, as of the many Millions of it's Inhabitants. The Word, Comprehensive, seems to be ambiguous. But doubtless we are capable of some proper positive Understanding of the Greatness of these Things, in Comparison of other Things that we know, as unspeakably exceeding them. We are capable of some clear Understanding of the Greatness or Considerableness of a whole Nation, or of the whole World of Mankind, as vastly exceeding that of a particular Person or Family. We can positively understand, that the whole Globe of the Earth is vastly greater, than a particular Hill or Mountain. And can have some good positive Apprehension of the starry Heavens, as so greatly exceeding the Globe of the Earth, that the latter is as it were Nothing to it. So the human Faculties are capable of a real and clear Understanding of the Greatness, Glory and Goodness of God, & of our Dependence upon him, from the Manifestations which God has made of himself to Mankind, as being beyond all Expression above that of the most excellent human Friend, or earthly Object. And so we are capable of an Esteem and Love to God, which shall be proportionable, and as much exceeding that which we have to any Creature.