Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

Whether it was a matter of necessity, in the nature of the case, that if man sinned at all, he should sin with all his heart; we are not informed. But supposing it had been possible, that he should apostatize only in part, retaining still a measure of real virtue and holiness; yet this was not the case in fact. In his first transgression, his whole heart was evidently involved in sin, and disaffection to his God. This was his appearance, when he was called to an account for his transgression. He had foolishly attempted to hide himself from the presence of the Lord, among the trees of the garden; and to conceal the shame of his nakedness, by a garment of fig leaves. These were strong indications of total depravity. And when he actually appeared before his God, and was interrogated by him, "Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee, that thou shouldst not eat?" he tacitly acknowledged the fact; but made no retraction. He was full of shame and guilt; but, to exculpate himself, he indirectly cast the blame on God himself. "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.' Is it possible, that any degree of depravity, short of that which is total, could produce such insolence as this? Christians, who are but partly sanctified, take all the blame of their transgressions to themselves. But Adam and Eve offered to God their apologies; which proves that they were totally destitute of holiness.

It is further evident, from God's threatening to our first parents, "Thou shalt surely die," that their fall was total. This death we have found to mean eternal death; or eternal misery, in the region of devils and damned spirits. Now if their apostasy had been but partial; and if they had still retained a good degree of virtue, and holiness of heart; surely, they were not prepared, by their first transgression, for that death which was threatened. They were, by no means, prepared to be the companions of devils and damned spirits, for ever. threatening was not indeed executed, in the day of Adam's fall, but a reprieve was granted, and pardon was granted to the truly penitent, only through the mediation and atonement of the divine Redeemer; which plan of divine mercy was immediately after the fall, revealed to our first parents; and in this way, the divine threatening was established and vindicated, by the blood of Christ;

This

and redemption was purchased for all who embraced the Saviour. Adam and Eve doubtless embraced the Saviour, and the plan of redemption by his blood. For they immediately commenced religious sacrifices, and appeared, thereafter, to enjoy the favour of God. But this whole scheme of redemption by the blood of Christ, is grounded on the doctrine of the total depravity of our first parents. By this plan, the whole law of God, with all its threatenings was established, magnified, and made ho-. nourable. And " Christ hath redeemed" Adam and Eve, and all other penitent sinners," from the curse of the law, being made a curse for them." All this implies the total depravity of mankind.

But, whether our first parents, in their apostasy from God, were totally involved in sin or not; yet it is abundantly evident, that this was the character, and still continues to be the character, of all their posterity. The first divine testimony on this point, was pronounced long before the flood. God saw, that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and, that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." It is added in the connection, that "the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth;" or infancy. These are very strong expressions of the total, and even universal depravity of the human heart. Lest any man should imagine, that depravity is chiefly limited to the heathen; and that the Jewish and Christian nations have been in a good measure free from the contagion; the Apostle Paul, by a most thorough investigation, proved, that both Jews and Gentiles, meaning the whole human race, in their natural state, are all under sin. And this he proved from the old testament, "As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one; there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of way they are together become unprofitable, there is none that doeth good, no not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre, with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace have they not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.' This is a very full and decisive testimony of the total depravity of all mankind.

the

[ocr errors]

The fear of the Lord is said to be the beginning of wrsdom, or of true religion. Being destitute of this, therefore, is being destitute of the first principle of true religion. This constitutes total depravity of heart. The testimonies of Paul, and the other inspired writers on this point, are very numerous and explicit. A perfect contrast is drawn between the carnally minded, and the spiritually minded. "To be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God." If they cannot please God at all, it must be because they are destitute of holiness; for, with all their imperfections, it is certain, that real Christians do so live and walk as to please God. Again; sinners are represented as in a state of moral death. "And you hath he quickened," said Paul to the saints at Ephesus, "who were dead in trespasses and sins." Likewise says the Saviour, "Verily, verily I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live." This is a resurrection from spiritual death, and is the same as regeneration. Christ in his ministry, and especially in his reproof of his opposers, taught the doctrine of total depravity. "I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye receive not." Had natural men a spark of holiness, they would certainly receive the blessed Saviour with joy. If all men have a principle of love to God in their hearts, how is it possible to account for the most outrageous persecution and murder of the Lord of glory. How can we account for the rise and reign of Antichrist? and for the horrid and unprovoked martyrdom of millions of the meek and amiable followers of Jesus Christ? How could the time ever come, in the Christian era, when whosoever killed the Apostles and followers of Christ, should think he did God service? Could any thing short of total depravity, produce such awful and horrid effects as these? Certainly nothing.

[ocr errors]

Again; From the necessity of regeneration, we clearly infer the doctrine of total depravity. Except a man be born again," says the Saviour," he cannot see the kingdom of God." But elsewhere he teaches distinctly and

abundantly, that every one who possessed and expressed the smallest token of love to him, should be saved.

He that should give a cup of cold water to a disciple only, because he belonged to him, should in no wise lose his reward. And every one who should forsake houses or brethren or sisters-that is to say, who should manifest the least degree of self-denial for his sake," should receive an hundred fold in this present world, and in the world to come, life everlasting." The inference is plain and obvious, that in order to possess the least degree of love to Christ, or the least degree of holiness, a man must be born again. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit." Man, therefore, as he is originally born, is wholly carnal, and sinful. "I know, that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing." Every man, in his natural state, as he proceeds from the first parents of our race, is alienated from God, totally corrupt, and spiritually dead. "When ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteous

ness."

As to the state and condition of mankind, in consequence of their apostasy from God, it is beyond conception woful. It is a state of guilt and condemnation, a state of sorrow and distress. "The fall brought mankind into a state of sin and misery." "All mankind, by their fall, lost communion with God, are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable to all the miseries of this life, to death itself, and the pains of hell for ever.” Thus woful is the state and condition of the human race, in consequence of the universal reign of sin. Sin hath, indeed, reigned unto death. "The wages of sin is death." Had there been no revelation of divine grace, in favour of lost man, his condition must, immediately, have been as hopeless as that of the fallen angels. For he was equally involved in guilt; and was without excuse. He could make no atonement for one of his transgressions, nor could he be persuaded, by all possible motives, to forsake his sins, even if by so doing he could inherit eternal life. Woful is the character and condition of fallen man!

ESSAY XIII.

Original Sin.

CONNECTED with the doctrine of the total depravity of our first parents, even in their first transgression; and of the total depravity of all their posterity; we are now to consider the particular doctrine of original sin. Respecting this doctrine, we meet with some diversity of opinion, even among those who admit the total and universal depravity of man. Some have entertained the absurd and antiscriptural idea, that all the posterity of Adam are somehow made guilty of his first sin-that they sinned in him, and fell with him, in his first transgression-that, if there was not a transfer of the personal act of eating the forbidden fruit; yet there was a transfer of the guilt that he incurred by that act. This however, does not seem to comport with scripture nor common sense. The plain testimony of scripture is, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him." Such is also the language of reason and common sense. Person

al acts, and moral character are not transferable from one to another. Neither the sin nor the righteousness of one can become the sin or the righteousness of another.

Again; Others have supposed, that but one single sin can properly be called original sin; and that is the sin of our first parents, in eating the forbidden fruit. This is said to be, literally and strictly speaking, the original transgression; and the fruitful source of all subsequent sins and abominations. It is indeed true, that eating the forbidden fruit was the first and original sin of the human race; and, according to the divine constitution, rather than by any necessity in the nature of the case, this first sin of Adam involved his posterity in a state of sin and ruin. Through the offence of one, many are dead;" yea, all are dead in trespasses and sins. Adam was doubtless placed as a public head, or representative of all his posterity; so that the fate of the whole was suspended on his conduct Probably he was apprised of his high responsibility; and had placed before him the greatest and

66

« AnteriorContinua »