Wesley Corpus

But “neither of those texts proves that all our wickedness proceeds from our being corrupted by Adam’s sin.” (Page 128.) But they both prove what they were brought to prove,-- that all outward wickedness proceeds from inward wickedness. Those pious men, therefore, did not mix “the forgery of their own imagination with the truth of God.” But “if all actual transgressions proceed from Adam’s sin, then he is the only guilty person that ever lived. For if his sin is the cause of all ours, he alone is chargeable with them.” True; if all our transgressions so proceed from his sin, that we cannot possibly avoid them. But this is not the case; by the grace of God we may cast away all our trans gressions: Therefore, if we do not, they are chargeable on ourselves. We may live; but we will die. Well, but “on these principles all actual sins proceed from Adam’s sin; either by necessary consequence, or through our own choice; or partly by one, and partly by the other.” (Page 129.) Yes; partly by one, and partly by the other. We are inclined to evil, antecedently to our own choice. By grace we may conquer this inclination; or we may choose to follow it, and so commit actual sin. 13. Their Fifth proposition is, “Original sin is conveyed from our first parents to their posterity by natural genera tion, so as all that proceed from them in that way are con ceived and born in sin.” (Page 130.) In proof of this they urge: “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sindid my mother conceive me. (Psalmli.5.)” (Page 131.) On this you observe: “The word which we translate “shapen, signifies to bring forth, or bear. So here it means, ‘Behold, I was brought forth, or born, in iniquity.’” Suppose it does, (which is not plain; for you cannot infer from its meaning so sometimes, that it means so here,) what have you gained? If David was born in iniquity, it is little different from being “shapen” therein. That the Hebrew word does not always mean “to be born,” but rather to be “shapen, formed, or made,” evidently appears from Psalm x.c. 2; where it is applied to the formation of the earth: And in this very text, the Seventy render it by eTAaorém. -a word of the very same import.