N06399:517
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 4 › 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.
So that in our Author's Way of explaining the Passage before us, the grand Arg••••t, which the Apostle insists upon here, to prove his main Point viz. that D••th don't come by Men's personal Sins, but by Adam's Sin, because it came before the Law was given, that threatened Death for Personal Sin; I say, this Argument which Dr. T. supposes so clear and strong, *is brought to Nothing more than a mere Shadow without Substance; the very Foundation of the Argument having no Truth. To say, there was no such Law actually expressed in any standing Revelation, would be mere Trifling: For it no more appears, that God would not bring temporal Death for personal Sins, without a standing revealed Law threatening it, than that he would not bring eternal Death before there was a revealed Law threatening that: which yet wicked Men that lived in Noah's Time, were exposed to, as appears by ⟨p. 251⟩1 Pet. iii. 19, 20. and which Dr. T. supposes all Mankind are exposed to by their personal Sins; and he himself says,* Sin in it's own unalterable Nature leads to Death.—Yet, it might be argued with as much Strength of Reason, that God could bring an Men no Punishment at all for any Sin, that was committed from Adam to Moses, because there was no standing revealed Law then extant, threatening any Punishment. It may here be properly observed, that our Author supposes, the shortening of Man's Days, and hastening-of Death, entered into the World by the Sin of the Antedi••vians, in the same Sense as Death and Mortality entered into the World by Adam's Sin. †But where was there any standing revealed Law for that, th• the Event was so universal? If God might bring this on all Mankind, on Occasion of other Men's Sins, for which they deserved Nothing, without a revealed Law, what could there be to hinder God's bringing Death on Men for their personal Sins, for which their own Consciences tell 'em they do deserve Death, without a revealed Law?