Wesley Corpus

Indeed, the whole doctrine of salvation by Christ, and divine grace, implies this; and each of its main branches --justification and regeneration--directly leads to it. So does the doctrine of man's original righteousness, than which nothing is more clearly revealed.” (Page 88.) “And if the writers before St. Augustine say little con cerning it, is not the reason plain? The occasions of their writing did not lead them to enlarge on what none had ever opposed or denied. For none had ever opposed or denied this doctrine. “Who, says Vincentius Lirinensis, ‘before Celestius, denied all mankind to be involved in the guilt of Adam’s transgression ?’ Yet they are not silent concerning it. Justin Martyr speaks of ‘mankind as fallen under death and the deceit of the serpent; of ‘all Adam’s descendants, as condemned for his sin; and all that are Christ's, as justi fied by him.’ (Dial. with Trypho.) In Irenaeus there are nu merous, strong, express testimonies, both to original righteous ness and original sin in the full extent: ‘What we lost in Adam, that is, a being after the image and likeness of God, this we recover by Christ.” (Irenaeus, l. 3. c. 20.) Again “They who receive the ingrafted word return to the ancient nature of man, that by which he was made after the image and likeness of God.” (Ibid. l. 5, c. 10.) He likewise speaks of our sinning in Adam: ‘In the first Adam,” says he, “we offended God; in the Second Adam, we are reconciled: ” And frequently of “man’s losing the image of God by the fall, and recovering it by Christ.’ Tertullian says, “Man was in the beginning deceived, and, therefore, condemned to death; upon which his whole race became infected and par taker of his condemnation.’ (De Testimonio Animae.) Cyprian is express in his Epistle to Fidus. Origen says, “The curse of Adam is common to all. Again: ‘Man, by sinning, lost the image and likeness of God.’ And again : “No one is clean from the filth of sin, even though he is not above a day old.’” (Page 93.) “‘The whole of me,’ says Nazianzen, ‘has need of being saved, since the whole of me fell, and was condemned for the disobedience of my first father. Many more are the testi monies of Athanasius, Basil, Hilary; all prior to St. Augus tine. And how generally since St.