N06399:375
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 3
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.
When God was pronouncing this Sentence, Adam doubtless understood, that God had Respect to his Posterity, as well as Himself; tho' God spake wholly in the second Person singular, Because thou hast eaten,—In Sorrow shalt thou eat,—Unto the Dust shalt thou return. But he had as much Reason to understand God as having Respect to his Posterity, when he directed his Speech to him in like Manner in the Threatening, Thou shalt surely die. The Sentence plainly refers to the Threatening, and results from it. The Threatening says, If thou eat, thou shalt die: The Sentence says, Because thou hast eaten, thou shalt die. And Moses, who wrote the Account, had no Reason to doubt but that the Affair would be thus understood by his Readers; for such a Way of speaking was well understood in those Days: The History he gives us of the Origin of Things, abounds with it. Such a Manner of speaking to the first of the Kind, or Heads of the Race, having Respect to the Progeny, is not only used in ⟨p. 175⟩almost every thing that God said to Adam and Eve, but even in what he said to the very Birds and Fishes, Gen. i. 22. And also in what he said afterwards to Noah, Gen. ix. and to Shem, Ham and Japheth, and Canaan, Gen. ix. 25, 26, 27. So in Promises made to Abraham, in which God directed his Speech to him, and spake in he second Person singular, from Time to Time, but meant chiefly his Posterity: To thee will I give this Land. In thee shall all the Families of the Earth be blessed,&c.&c. And in what is said of Ishmael, as of his Person, but meant chiefly of his Posterity, Gen. vi. 12. and xvii. 20. And so in what Isaac said to Esau and Jacob, in his Blessing; in which he spake to them in the second Person singular; but meant chiefly their Posterity. And so for the most Part in the Promises made to Isaac and Jacob; and in Jacob's Blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh, and of his twelve Sons.
When God was pronouncing this Sentence, Adam doubtless understood, that God had Respect to his Posterity, as well as Himself; tho' God spake wholly in the second Person singular, Because thou hast eaten,—In Sorrow shalt thou eat,—Unto the Dust shalt thou return. But he had as much Reason to understand God as having Respect to his Posterity, when he directed his Speech to him in like Manner in the Threatning, Thou shalt surely die. The Sentence plainly refers to the Threatning, and results from it. The Threatning says, If thou eat, thou shalt die: The Sentence says, Because thou hast eaten, thou shalt die. And Moses, who wrote the Account, had no Reason to doubt but that the Affair would be thus understood by his Readers; for such a Way of speaking was well understood in those Days: The History he gives us of the Origin of Things, abounds with it. Such a Manner of speaking to the first of the Kind, or Heads of the Race, having Respect to the Progeny, is not only used in