The great Christian doctrine of original sin defended

Concerning these Things I would observe, that such a Scheme is attended with the very same Difficulties, which they that advance it would avoid by it; liable to the same Objections, which they make against God's ordering it so that Men should be brought into Being with a prevailing Propensity to Sin. For this Scheme supposes, the Author of Nature has so ordered Things, that Men should come into Being as moral Agents, that is, should first have Existence in a State and Capacity of mora Agency, under a prevailing Propensity to Sin. For that Strength, which sensitive Appetites and animal Passions come to by their habitual Exercise, before Persons come to the Exercise of their rational Powers, amounts to a strong Propensity to Sin, when they first come to the Exercise of those rational Powers, by the Supposition: because this is given as a Reason why the Scale is turned for Sin among Mankind, and why, generally speaking, the whole World lies in Wickedness, and the Study of Virtue is a severe Struggle against bad Habits, early contracted, and deeply rooted. These deeply rooted Habits must imply a Tendency to Sin; otherwise they could not account for that which they are brought to account for, namely, prevailing Wickedness in the World: For that Cause can't account for an Effect, which is supposed to have no Tendency to that Effect. And this Tendency which is supposed, is altogether Equivalent to a natural Tendency: 'Tis as necessary to the Subject. For it is supposed to be brought on the Person who is the Subject of it, when he ⟨p. 117⟩has no Power to withstand or oppose it: The Habit, as Dr. Turnbull says, becoming very strong, before Reason can have Force enough to call the Passions to Account, or assume Authority over them. And 'tis supposed, that this Necessity, by which Men become subject to this Propensity to Sin, is from the Ordering and Disposal of the Author of Nature; and therefore must be as much from his Hand, and as much without the Hand of the Person himself, as if he were first brought into Being with such a Propensity. Moreover, it is supposed that the Effect, which the Tendency is to, is truly Wickedness. For 'tis alleged as a Cause or Reason why the whole World lies in Wickedness, and why all but a very few are first in the Class of the Wicked, and not among the Righteous that need no Repentance.

Concerning these Things I would observe, that such a Scheme is attended with the very same Difficulties, which they that advance it would avoid by it; liable to the same Objections, which they make against God's ordering it so that Men should be brought into Being with a prevailing Propensity to Sin. For this Scheme supposes, the Author of Nature has so ordered Things, that Men should come into Being as moral Agents, that is, should first have Existence in a State and Capacity of mora Agency, under a prevailing Propensity to Sin. For that Strength, which sensitive Appetites and animal Passions come to by their habitual Exercise, before Persons come to the Exercise of their rational Powers, amounts to a strong Propensity to Sin, when they first come to the Exercise of those rational Powers, by the Supposition: because this is given as a Reason why the Scale is turned for Sin among Mankind, and why, generally speaking, the whole World lies in Wickedness, and the Study of Virtue is a severe Struggle against bad Habits, early contracted, and deeply rooted. These deeply rooted Habits must imply a Tendency to Sin; otherwise they could not account for that which they are brought to account for, namely, prevailing Wickedness in the World: For that Cause can't account for an Effect, which is supposed to have no Tendency to that Effect. And this Tendency which is supposed, is altogether Equivalent to a natural Tendency: 'Tis as necessary to the Subject. For it is supposed to be brought on the Person who is the Subject of it, when he