Wesley Corpus

It would prove God to be the author of all actual as well as original sin. For “it is the power of God, under certain laws and established rules,” which produces not only the foetus, but all the motion in the universe. It is his power which so violently expands the air, on the discharge of a pistol or cannon. It is the same which produces muscular motion, and the circulation of all the juices in man. But does he therefore produce adultery or murder? Is he the cause of those sinful motions? He is the cause of the motion; (as he is of the foetus;) of the sin, he is not. Do not say, “This is too fine a distinction.” Fine as it is, you must necessarily allow it: Otherwise, you make God the direct author of all the sin under heaven. To apply this more directly to the point: God does produce the foetus of man, as he does of trees; empowering the one and the other to propagate each after its kind; and a sinful man propagates, after his kind, another sinful man. Yet God pro duces, in the sense above mentioned, the man, but not the sin. 17. Their Sixth proposition is, “The fall brought upon mankind the loss of communion with God, his displeasure and curse; (Gen. iii. 8, 10, 24;) so as ‘we are by nature children of wrath,’ (Eph. ii. 2, 3) bond-slaves to Satan, and justly liable to all punishments, (2 Tim. ii. 26) in this world, and that which is to come. (Gen. ii. 17; Rom. vi. 23.)” In proof of the first clause of this proposition, they cite Gen. iii. 8, 10, 24. On this you observe: “Adam and Eve by their sin did forfeit communion with God. But God did not take the forfeiture.” (Page 147.) Surely he did, when “they were afraid, and hid themselves from his presence.” “But after ward they had frequent communion with him.” This does not prove they did not lose it before. “But their posterity did not. Abel had communion with him, and so had the Patriarchs and Prophets; and so have we at this day.