N06399:233
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 8
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.
And with respect to the dreadful Corruption of the present Day, it is to be considered, besides the Advantages already mentioned, that great Advances in Learning and philosophic Knowledge have been made in the present and past Century, giving great Advantage for a proper and enlarged Exercise of our rational Powers, and for our seeing the bright Manifestation of God's Perfections in his Works. And it is to be observed, that the Means and Inducements to Virtue, which this Age enjoys, are in Addition to most of those which were mentioned before, as given of old; and among other Things, in Addition to the shortening of Man's Life, to 70 or 80 Years, from near a Thousand. And with regard to this, ⟨p. 95⟩I would observe, that as the Case now is in Christendom, take one with another of them that ever come to Years of Discretion, their Life is not more than forty or forty-five Years; which is but about the twentieth Parth of what it once was: And not so much in great Cities, Places where Profaneness, Sensuality and Debauchery, commonly prevail to the greatest Degree.
Dr. T. (Key, § 1.) truly observes, That God has from the Beginning exercised wonderful and infinite Wisdom, in the Methods he has, from Age to Age, made use of to oppose Vice, cure Corruption, and promote Virtue in the World; and introduced several Schemes to that End. 'Tis indeed remarkable, how many Schemes and Methods were tried of old, both before and after the Flood; how many were used in the Times of the Old Testament, both with Jews and Heathens; and how ineffectual all these ancient Methods proved, for 4000 Years together, till God introduced that grand Dispensation, for the r• deeming Men from all Iniquity, and purifying them so himself, a People zealous of good Works; which the Scripture represents as the Subject of the Admiration of Angels. But even this has; now so long, proved so ineffectual, with respect to the Generality, that Dr. T. thinks there is Need of a new Dispensation; Christians being now, as he says, in a Manner reduced to a State of Religion, as low as that of Heathenism, & may be ranked among the Dead; the present Light of the Gospel proving insufficient for the full Reformation of the Christian World. (Note on