N06399:346
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 2
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.
DR. T. in his Observations on the three first Chapters of Genesis, says, P. 7. The Threatening to Man in Case of Transgression was, that he should surely die.—Death is the losing of Life. Death is opposed to Life, and must be understood according to the Nature of that Life, to which it is opposed. Now the Death here threatened can, with any Certainty, be opposed only to the Life God gave, Adam, when he created him, ver. 7. Any thing besides this must be pure Conjecture, without solid Foundation.
DR. T. in his Observations on the three first Chapters of Genesis, says, P. 7. The Threatning to Man in Case of Transgression was, that he should surely die.—Death is the losing of Life. Death is oppos'd to Life, and must be understood according to the Nature of that Life, to which it is opposed. Now the Death here threaten'd can, with any Certainty, be opposed only to the Life God gave, Adam, when he created him, ver. 7. Any thing besides this must be pure Conjecture, without solid Foundation.
To this I would say; 'Tis true, Death is opposed to Life, and must be understood according to the Nature of that Life, to which it is opposed: but does it therefore follow, that Nothing can be meant by it but the Loss of ⟨p. 156⟩Life? Misery is opposed to Happiness, and Sorrow is in Scripture often opposed to Joy: but can we conclude from thence, that Nothing is meant in Scripture by Sorrow, but the Loss of Joy? Or that there is no more in Misery, than the Loss or Absence of Happiness? And if it be so, that the Death threatened to Adam can, with Certainty, be opposed only to the Life given to Adam, when God created him; I think, a State of perfect, perpetual and hopeless Misery is properly opposed to that State Adam was in, when God created him. For I suppose, it won't be denied, that the Life Adam had, was truly a happy Life; happy in-perfect Innocency, in the Favour of his Maker, surrounded with the happy Fruits and Testimonies of his Love: and I think it has been proved, that he also was happy in a State of perfect Righteousness. And Nothing is more manifest, than that it is agreeable to a very common Acceptation of the Word, Life, in Scripture, that it be understood as signifying a State of excellent and happy Existence. Now that which is most opposite to that Life and State Adam was created in, is a State of total confirmed Wickedness, and perfect hopeless Misery, under the divine Displeasure and Curse; not excluding temporal Death or the Destruction of the Body, as an Introduction to it.