N06399:409
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 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.
And as Mankind are represented in Scripture, as being of a wicked Heart from their Youth, so in other Places they are spoken of as being thus from the Womb Psal. lviii. 3. The Wicked are estranged from the Womb: They go astray as soon as they be born, speaking Lies. 'Tis observable, that the Psalmist mentions, this as what belongs to the Wicked, as the SONS OF MEN: for, these are the proceeding Words; "Do ye judge uprightly, O ye Sons of Men?—Yea, in Heart ye work Wickedness." (A Phrase of the like Import with that in Gen. viii. 21. The Imagination, or Operation, as it might have been rendered, of his Heart is evil.) Then it follows. The Wicked are estranged from the Womb, &c. The next Verse is, Their Poison is like the Poison of a Serpent. 'Tis so remarkably, as the very Nature of a Serpent is Poison: Serpents are poisonous as soon as they come into the World: They derive a poisonous Nature by their Generation.—Dr.T.(P. 134, 135.) says, 'Tis evident that this is a scriptural figurative Way of aggravating Wickedness, on the one Hand, and Virtue on the other, to speak of it as being from the Womb. And as an Instance of the latter, he cites that in Isai. xlix. 1. The Lord hath called me from the Womb; from the Bowels of my Mother, he made Mention of my Name. But I apprehend, that in order to seeing this to be evident, which he asserts, a Man must have Eyes peculiarly affected. I humbly conceive, that such Phrases as that in the 49th of Isaiah, of God's calling the Prophet from the Womb, are evidently, not of the Import which he supposes; but mean truly from the Beginning of Existence, and are manifestly of like Signification with that which is said of the Prophet Jeremiah, Jer. i. 5. Before I formed thee in the Womb; I know thee: Before thou camest out of the Womb, I sanctified thee, and ordained thee a Prophet of the Nations. ⟨p. 193⟩Which surely means something else besides a high Degree of Virtue: It plainly signifies that he was, from his first Existence, set apart by God for a Prophet. And it would be as unreasonable to understand it otherwise, as to suppose, the Angel meant any other than that Samson was set apart to be a Nazarite from the Beginning of his Life, when he says to his Mother, Behold, thou shalt conceive and bear a Son: and now drink no Wine, nor strong Drink, &c. For the Child shall be a Naarite to God, from the Womb, to the Day of his Death.