Wesley Corpus

Unto whom, with God the Father, and the sanctifying, comforting Spirit, be ascribed all praise for ever !” (Page 83.) “THE phrase, original sin, so far as we can discover, was first used in the fourth century. The first who used it was either St. Chrysostom, or Hilary, some of whose words are these: ‘The Psalmist says, Behold, I was conceived in iniqui ties, and in sins did my mother conceive me. He acknow ledges that he was born under original sin and the law of sin.” Soon after Hilary’s time, St. Augustine, and other Christian writers, brought it into common use.” (Pages 2, 3.) “The scriptural doctrine of original sin may be comprised in the following propositions:-- “I. Man was originally made righteous or holy. “II. That original righteousness was lost by the first sin. “III. Thereby man incurred death of every kind; for," “IV. Adam’s first sin was the sin of a public person, one whom God had appointed to represent all his descendants. “W. Hence all these are from their birth ‘children of wrath,’ void of all righteousness, and propense to sin of all sorts. “I add, WI. This is not only a truth agreeable to Scripture and reason, but a truth of the utmost importance, and one to which the Churches of Christ, from the beginning, have borne a clear testimony.” (Page 8.)- “I. Man was originally made righteous or holy; formed with such a principle of love and obedience to his Maker as disposed and enabled him to perform the whole of his duty with ease and pleasure. This has been proved already; and this wholly over turns Dr. Taylor's fundamental aphorism, ‘Whatever is natural is necessary, and what is necessary is not sinful. For if man was originally righteous or holy, we may argue thus: It was at 416 ThE DOCTRINE OF first natural to man to love and obey his Maker; yet it was not necessary; neither as necessary is opposed to voluntary or free; (for he both loved and obeyed freely and willingly;) nor, as necessary means unavoidable; (this is manifest by the event;) no, nor as necessary is opposed to rewardable; for had he continued to love and obey, he would have been rewarded with everlasting happiness.