N06399:453
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 3 › 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.
In order the more fully to evade the clear & abundant Testimonies to the Doctrine of original Sin, contained in this Part of the holy Scripture, our Author says, The Apostle is here speaking of Bodies of People, of Jews and Gentiles in a collective Sense, as two great Bodies into which Mankind are divided; speaking of them in their collective Capacity, and not with respect to particular Persons; that the Apostle's Design is to prove, neither of these two great collective Bodies, in their collective Sense, can be justified by Law, because both were corrupt; and so, that no more is implied, than that the Generality of both were Wicked. ‖On this I observe,
- ‖P. 102, 104, 117, 119, 120. and Note on Rom. iii. 10—19.
(1.) That this supposed Sense disagrees extremely with the Terms and Language which the Apostle here makes use of. For according to this, we must understand, either
First, that the Apostle means no Universality at all, but only the far greater Part. But if the Words which the Apostle uses, don't most fully and determinately signify an Universality, no Words ever used in the Bible are sufficient to do it. I might challenge any Man to produce any one Paragraph in the Scripture, from the Beginning to the End, where there is such a Repetition and Accumulation of Terms, so strongly and emphatically and carefully to express the most perfect & absolute Universality; or any Place to be compared to it. What Instance is there in the Scripture, or indeed any other Writing, when the Meaning is only the much greater Part, where this Meaning is signified in such a Manner, by repeating such Expressions, They are all,—They are all,—They are all,—,together—every one,—all the World; joined to multiplied negative Terms, to show the Universality to be without Exception; saying, There is no Flesh,—there is none—there is none—there is none—there is none, four times over; besides the Addition of, No, not one,—no, not one,—once and again!