N06399:338
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 2 › Chapter 1 › Section 1
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.
These Things are not agreeable to Moses's Account; which represents an happy State of peculiar Favours and Blessings before the Fall, and the Curse coming afterwards: but according to this Scheme, the Curse was before the Fall, and the great Favours and Testimonies of Love followed the Apostasy. And the Curse before the Fall must be a Curse with a Witness, being to so high a Degree the Reverse of such Means, Means so necessary for such a Creature as innocent Man, and in all their Multitude and Fullness proving too little. Paradise therefore must be a mere Delusion! There was indeed a great Show of Favour, in placing Man in the midst of such Delights. But this delightful Garden, it seems, with all it's Beauty and Sweetness, was in it's real Tendency worse than the Apples ⟨p. 160⟩of Sodom: It was but a mere Bait (God forbid the Blasphemy) the more effectually enticing by it's Beauty and Deliciousness, to Adam's eternal Ruin: which might be the more expected to be fatal to him, seeing that he was the first Man that ever existed, having no Superiority of Capacity to his Posterity, and wholly without the Advantage of the Observations, Experiences and Improvements of preceding Generations; which his Posterity have.
These Things are not agreeable to Moses's Account; which represents an happy State of peculiar Favours and Blessings before the Fall, and the Curse coming afterwards: but according to this Scheme, the Curse was before the Fall, and the great Favours and Testimonies of Love followed the Apostacy. And the Curse before the Fall must be a Curse with a Witness, being to so high a Degree the Reverse of such Means, Means so necessary for such a Creature as innocent Man, and in all their Multitude and Fulness proving too little. Paradise therefore must be a meer Delusion! There was indeed a great Shew of Favour, in placing Man in the midst of such Delights. But this delightful Garden, it seems, with all it's Beauty and Sweetness, was in it's real Tendency worse than the Apples ⟨p. 160⟩of Sodom: It was but a meer Bait (God forbid the Blasphemy) the more effectually enticing by it's Beauty and Deliciousness, to Adam's eternal Ruin: which might be the more expected to be fatal to him, seeing that he was the first Man that ever existed, having no Superiority of Capacity to his Posterity, and wholly without the Advantage of the Observations, Experiences and Improvements of preceding Generations; which his Posterity have.