Treatise Doctrine Of Original Sin
| Author | John Wesley |
|---|---|
| Type | treatise |
| Year | None |
| Passage ID | jw-treatise-doctrine-of-original-sin-191 |
| Words | 394 |
“By nature” all are “children of wrath, without
hope, without God in the world.”
10. Doth that man write the sincere sense of his own mind
and conscience, who charges the expression, “Adam was on
trial for us all,” with this inference, “That we are none of
us in a state of trial now, but Adam alone was upon trial for
us all ?” We have owned and granted, that men are now in
a state of trial; but this is upon the foot of a new covenant. You answer, “What can be more evident, than that, accord
ing to this scheme, Adam alone was to be upon trial for us all,
and that none of Adam’s posterity are upon personal trial?”
(Page 209.) Do you not see the ambiguity in the word
alone? Or do you see and dissemble it? Dr. Watts sup
poses, that Adam alone, that is, this single person, was on trial
for all men. Does it follow from hence, that Adam alone,
that is, no other person, was ever in a state of trial? Again:
If no person but Adam was upon trial for all men, will it
follow, “No person but Adam was upon trial at all?” It is
really hard to think, that you here “speak the sincere sense
of your own mind and conscience.”
You go on: “He supposes all mankind are still under the
original covenant with Adam, according to which he alone was
upon trial for us all, and none of his posterity are upon per
sonal trial.” He does not suppose any man to be so under
that covenant, as to supersede his being upon personal trial. Yourself add: “I knew he owned we are upon personal trial,
and that all mankind are now under the covenant of grace;
but how can either of these consist with the scheme?” Both
of them consist with it perfectly well. (1) Adam alone, or
single, was, in some sense, on trial for all mankind, according
to the tenor of the oid covenant, “Do this and live.” (2.)
Adam fell, and hereby the sentence of death came on him
and all his posterity. (3.) The new covenant was given,
whereby all mankind were put into a state of personal trial;
yet, still, (4.) Death, the penalty of the old covenant, came
(more or less) on all mankind.