N06399:259
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 9
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.
I think, from the brief Account the Scripture gives us of the Behaviour of the first Parents of Mankind, the Expressions of their Faith and Hope in God's Mercy revealed to them, we have Reason to suppose, that before every they had any Children, they repented, and were pardoned, and became truly pious. So that God planted the World at first with a noble Vine; and at the Beginning of the Generations of Mankind, he set the Stream of Example the right Way. And we see, that Children are more apt to follow the Example of their Parents, than of any others; especially in early Youth, their forming Time, when those Habits are generally contracted, which abide by them all their Days. And besides, Adam's Children had no other Examples to follow, but those of their Parents. How therefore came the Stream so soon to ⟨p. 110⟩turn, and to proceed the contrary Way, with so violent a Current? Then, when Mankind became so universally and desperately corrupt, as not to be fit to live on Earth any longer, and the World was every where full of bad Examples, God destroyed 'em all at once, but only righteous Noah, and his Family, to remove those bad Examples, and that the World of Mankind might be planted again with good Example, and the Stream again turned the right Way: How therefore came it to pass, that Noah's Posterity did not follow his good Example, especially when they had such extraordinary Things to enforce his Example, but so generally, even in his Life-time, became so exceeding Corrupt? One would think, the first Generations at least, while all lived together as one Family, under Noah, their venerable Father, might have followed his good Example: And if they had done so, then, when the Earth came to be divided in P•l•g's Time, the Heads of the several Families would have set out their particular Colonies with good Examples, and the Stream would have been turned the right Way in all the various Divisions, Colonies and Nations of the World. But we see verily the Fact was, that in about fifty Years after Noah's Death the World in general was over-run with dreadful Corruption; so that all Virtue and Goodness was like soon to perish from among Mankind, unless something extraordinary should be done to prevent it.