CHAP. II.

Observations on other Parts of the holy Scriptures, chiefly in the Old Testament, that prove the doctrine of Original Sin.

ORIGINAL depravity may well be argued, from wickedness being often spoken of in scripture as a thing belonging to the race of mankind, and as if it were a property of the species. So in Psal. xiv. 2, 3. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the CHILDREN OF MEN, to see if there were any that did understand and seek God. They are all gone aside; they are altogether become filthy: There is none that doeth good; no, not one, The like we have again, Psal, liii. 2, 3.-Dr. T. says, (p. 104, 105.) "The holy Spirit does not mean this of every individual; because in the very same psalm, he speaks of some that were righteous, ver. 5. God is in the generation of the righteous.” But how little is this observation to the purpose? For who ever supposed, that no unrighteous men were ever changed by divine grace, and afterwards made righteous? The psalmist is speaking of what men are as they are the children of men, born of the corrupt human race; and not as born of God, whereby they come to be the children of God, and of the generation of the righteous. The apostle Paul cites this place in Rom. iii, 10-12. to prove the universal corruption of mankind; but yet in the same chapter he supposes the same persons spoken of as wicked may become righteous, through the righteousness and grace of God.

ye

Wickedness is spoken of in other places in the book of psalms, as a thing that belongs to men, as of the human race, as sons of men. Thus, in Psal. iv. 2. O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? How long will love vanity? &c. Psal. Ivii. 4. I lie among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. Psal. lviii. 1, 2. Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? Do ye judge uprightly,

ye sons of men? Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth. Our author mentioning these places, says, (p. 105, note,) "There was a strong party in Israel disaffected to David's person and government, and sometimes he chooseth to denote them by the sons or children of men." But it would have been worth his while to have inquired, Why the psalmist should choose to denote the worst men in Israel by this name? Why he should choose thus to disgrace mankind, as if the compellation of sons of men most properly belonged to such as were of the vilest character, and as if all the sons of men, even every one of them, were of

such a character, and none of them did good; no, not one? Is it not strange that the righteous should not be thought worthy to be called sons of men, and ranked with that noble race of beings, who are born into the world wholly right and innocent! It is a good, easy, and natural reason, why he chooseth to call the wicked sons of men, as a proper name for them, That by being of the sons of men, or of the corrupt, ruined race of mankind, they come by their depravity. And the psalmist himself leads us to this very reason, Psal. lviii. Do ye judge uprightly, O YE SONS OF MEN? yea, in heart ye work wickedness, ye weigh out the violence of your hands. The wicked are ESTRANGED FROM THE WOMB, &c. Of which I shall speak more by and by.

Agreeable to these places is Prov. xxi. 8. The way of MAN is froward and strange; but as for the PURE, his work is right. He that is perverse in his walk is here called by the name of man, as distinguished from the pure: which I think is absolutely unaccountable, if all mankind by nature are pure and perfectly innocent, and all such as are froward and strange in their ways, therein depart from the native purity of all mankind. The words naturally lead us to suppose the contrary; that depravity and perverseness properly belong to mankind as they are naturally, and that a being made pure, is by an after-work, by which some are delivered from native pollution, and distinguished from mankind in general: Which is perfectly agreeable to the representation in Rev. xiv. 4. where we have an account of a number that were not defiled, but were pure, and followed the Lamb; of whom it is said, These were

REDEEMED FROM AMONG MEN.

To these things agree Jer. xvii. 5, 9. In ver. 5, it is said, Cursed is he that trusteth in MAN. And in ver. 9. this reason is given, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? What heart is this so wicked and deceitful? Why, evidently the heart of him, who, it was said before, we must not trust; and that is MAN. It alters not the case as to the present argument, whether the deceitfulness of the heart here spoken of be its deceitfulness to the man himself, or to others. So Eccl. ix. 3. Madness is in the heart of the SONS of MEN, while they live. And those words of Christ to Peter, Matth. xvi. 23. Get thee behind me, Satan-For thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of MEN. Signifying plainly, that to be carnal and vain, and opposite to what is spiritual and divine, is what properly belongs to men in their present state. The same thing is supposed in that of the apostle, 1 Cor. iii. 3. For ye are yet carnal. For whereas there is among you envying and strife, are ye not carnal, and walk as MEN? And that in Hos. vi. 7. But they like MEN have transgressed the covenant. To these places may be added

Matth. vii. 11. If YE BEING EVIL, know how to give good gifts. Jam. iv. 5. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, the spirit that DWELLETH IN US, LUSTETH TO ENVY?-1 Pet. iv. 2. That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the lusts of MEN, but to the will of God-Yet above all, that in Job xv. 16. How much more abominable and filthy is MAN WHO DRINKETH INIQUITY LIKE WATER? Of which more presently.

Now what account can be given of these things on Dr. T.'s scheme? How strange is it, that we should have such descriptions, all over the bible, of MAN, and the SONS OF MEN! Why should man be so continually spoken of as evil, carnal, perverse, deceitful, and desperately wicked, if all men are by nature as perf ctly innocent, and free from any propensity to evil, as Adam was the first moment of his creation, all made right, as our author would have us understand, Eccl. vii. 29? Why on the contrary, is it not said, at least as often, and with equal reason, that the heart of man is right and pure; that the way of man is innocent and holy; and that he who savours true virtue and wisdom, savours the things that be of men? Yea, and why might it not as well have been said, the Lord looked down from heaven on the sons of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and did seek after God; and they were all right, altogether pure, there was none inclined to do wickedness, no, not

one?

you.

Of the like import with the texts mentioned are those which represent wickedness as what properly belongs to the WORLD; and that they who are otherwise are saved from the world, and called out of it. As John vii. 7. The WORLD cannot hate you; but me it hateth; because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. Chap. viii. 23. Ye are of this wORLD: I am not of this wORLD. Chap. xiv. 17. The spirit of truth, whom the WORLD cannot receive: because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: But ye know him. Chap. xv. 18, 19. If the WORLD hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated If ye were of the WORLD, the WORLD would love its own: But because ye are not of the WORLD, but I have chosen you out of the WORLD, therefore the WORLD hateth you. Rev. xiv. 3, 4. These are they which were redeemed from the EARTH,―redeemed from among men. John xvii. 9. I pray not for the wORLD, but for them which thou hast given me. ver. 14. I have given them thy word; and the WORLD hath hated them, because they are not of the WORLD, even as I am not of the WORLD. 1 John iii. 13. Marvel not, my brethren, if the WORLD hate you. Chap. iv. 5. They are of the WORLD, therefore speak they of the WORLD, and the WORLD heareth them. Chap. v. 19. We are of God, and the whole WORLD lieth in wickedness. It is evident that in these places by the world is meant the world of mankind; not the VOL. II. 56

habitation, but the inhabitants: For it is the world spoken of as loving, hating, doing evil works, speaking, hearing, &c.

The same thing is shewn, when wickedness is often spoken of as being man's own, in contradistinction from virtue and holiness. So men's lusts are often called their own heart's lusts, and their practising wickedness is call d walking in their OWN ways, walking in their own counsels, in the imagination of their own heart, and in the sight of their own eyes, according to their own devices, &c. These things denote wickedness to be a quality belonging properly to the character and nature of mankind in their present state: As, when Christ would represent that lying is remarkably the character and the very nature of the devil in his present state, he expresses it thus, John viii. 44. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his OWN: For he is a liar, and the father of it.

And that wickedness belongs to the very nature of men in their present state, may be argued from those places which speak of mankind as being wicked in their childhood, or from their childhood. So Prov. xxii. 15. Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him. Nothing is more manifest, than that the wise man in this book continually uses the word folly, or foolishness, for wickedness; and that this is what he means in this place, the words themselves explain. For the rod of correction is proper to drive away no other foolishness, but that which is of a moral nature. The word rendered bound, signifies (as observed in Pool's Synopsis,) a close and firm union. The same word is used in Chap. vi. 21. BIND them continually upon thine heart. And Chap. vii. 3. BIND them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.* The same verb is used, 1 Sam. xviii. 1. The soul of Jonathan was knit, or BOUND to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.-But how comes wickedness to be so firmly bound, and strongly fixed, in the hearts of children, if it be not there naturally? They have had no time firmly to fix habits of sin, by long custom in actual wickedness, as those who have lived many years in the world.

The same thing is signified in that noted place, Gen. viii. 21. For the imagination of man's heart is evi, FROM HIS YOUTH. It alters not the case, whether it be translated for or though the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth, as Dr. T. would have it. The word translated youth, signifi s the whole of the former part of the age of man, which commences from the beginning of life. The word in its derivation has reference to the birth or beginning of existence. It comes from () a word to shake off, as a tree shakes off its ripe fruit, or a plant its

To the like purpose is Chap. iii. 3. and Deut. xi. 18. where this word is used

seed; the birth of children being commonly represented by a tree yielding fruit, or a plant yielding seed. So that the word here translated youth, comprehends not only what we in English most commonly call the time of youth, but also childhood and infancy, and is very often used to signify these latter.*

Dr. T. says, (p. 124. note,) that he "conceives, from the youth, is a phrase signifying the greatness or long duration of a thing." But if by long duration he means any thing else than what is literally expressed, viz. from the beginning of life, he has no reason to conceive so; neither has what he offers so much as the shadow of a reason for his conception. There is no appearance in the words of the two or three texts he mentions, of their meaning any thing else than what is most literally signified. And it is certain, that what he suggests is not the ordinary import of such a phrase among the Hebrews; but that thereby is meant from the beginning, or the early time of life, or existence; as may be seen in the places following, where the same word in the Hebrew is used as in the eighth of Genesis. 1 Sam. xii. 2. I am old and grey-headed—and I have walked before you from my CHILDHOOD until this day. Psal. lxxi. 5, 6, Thou art my trust FROM MY YOUTH: By thee have I been hold en up from the womb. Thou art he that took me of my mother's bowels. (ver. 17, 18.) O God, thou hast taught me FROM MY YOUTH; and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works: Now also, when I am old and grey-headed, forsake me not. Psal. cxxix. 1, 2. Many a time have they afflicted me FROM MY YOUTH, may Israel now say: Many a time have they afflicted me FROM MY YOUTH; yet have they not prevailed against me. Isa. xlvii. 12. Stand now with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured FROM THY YOUTH. (So also ver. 15.) 2 Sam. xix. 7. That will be worse unto thee, than all the evil that befell thee FROM THY YOUTH until now. Jer. iii. 24, 25. Shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers, FROM OUR YOUTH.-We have sinned against the Lord our God FROM OUR YOUTH, even to this day.

And it is observed, that according to the manner of the Hebrew language, when it is said, such a thing has been from youth, or the first part of existence, the phrase is to be understood as including that first time of existence. So, Josh. vi. 21. They utterly destroyed all from the young to the old, (so in the

* A word of the same root is used to signify a young child, or a little child, in the following places : 1 Sam. i. 24, 25, 27. 1 Kings iii. 7. and xi. 17. 2 Kings ii. 23. Job xxxiii. 25. Prov. xxii. 6. xxiii. 13. and xxix. 21 Isai. x. 19. xi. 6. and lxv. 20. Hos. xi. 1. The same word is used to signify an infant, in Exod. ii. 6. and x. 9. Jud. xiii. 5, 7, 8, 24, 1 Sam. i. 22. and iv. 21. 2 Kings v. 14. Isai. vii. 18 and viii. 4.

† So Gen. xlvi. 34. Job xxxi. 18. Jer. xxxi. 30. and xlviii. 11. Ezek. iv. 14. Zech. xiii. 5.