APPENDIX.

The Calvinistic Doctrine of Original Sin Stated and Defended..

THE Doctrine of Original Sin is of such cardinal importance in the system of Christianity, that it is deeply to be regretted it should not be generally understood.With the hope of casting some light on the subject, and with the design of rendering this little volume still more valuable, it has been determined to subjoin, in this appendix, the sentiments of an American Divine.

CALVIN maintains, that THE FACULTIES of man before and after the apostacy are the same. In this all enlightened men agree. But what is a mental faculty? How many faculties shall we enumerate? Will a knowledge of these enable us more clearly to understand the doctrine of Original Sin? On these enquiries perhaps it is possible to satisfy the reader.

"A MENTAL FACULTY is that inherent part of the constitution of the mind by which it performs any distinct operation. A MENTAL OPERATION is any thing which the mind does, by any one of its faculties, or by the co-operation of several of them. The human mind has TEN constituent faculties, which are, the faculties of consciousness, perception, conception, judgment, con

science, reasoning, feeling, memory, volition and efficiency. By the existence of these we may account for every mental operation.

The Faculty of Consciousness is that part of the original constitution of the mind by which, without any reasoning on the subject, every man has knowledge of his present mental operations.

The Faculty of Perception is that part of the original constitution of the mind by which it has knowledge, through the instrumentality of the five senses, of external objects." Of course our perceptions may be divided into five classes, or departments, which comprehend our perceptions through the eyes, the ears, the organs of tasting, the olfactory nerves, and the organs of touch. It is an established law in the government of human minds, that there shall be no perceptions, while we are awake, but through our bodily organs. It is the mind which sees, hears, smells, tastes, and touches and it is according to the law just stated, that the immortal spirit is enabled to hold converse with matter, a substance unlike itself. By a figure of speech which puts the cause for the effect, some operations consequent on perception, are called perceptions. I perceive thou art in the gall of bitterness," said Paul, when he judged, from the words which he had heard, that Simon was still an unrenewed "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us," that is, by what we have scen and heard of the death of Christ, we have some just apprehension of the love of God "I perceive that thou art a prophet," said the woman of Samaria, when she judged from her perceptions, or from hearing and seeing Jesus, that he was a prophet. "I perceive" said Paul, that in all things ye are too superstitious;" when strictly

man.

speaking, from seeing the images and devotions of the Athenians, he came to the judgment that they were exceedingly superstitious. Indeed, when we are said to perceive any thing but such an object as is presented to one or the other of our five senses, it is by a metonymy.

The Faculty of Conception is that part of the original constitution of the mind by which we have knowledge of things which are not perceived by the senses. This is the most important faculty of the understanding, and has itself very commonly been called by that general term.It is by this part of our constitution that we have an idea, a notion, a conception, an apprehension, or an understanding, of any subject not material. By this we have knowledge of time, space, quantity, state, faculty, power, virtue, vice, goodness, liberty, and of thousands of similar things. We perceive only things present and real, but we conceive of things absent, and of things as being in one place which we believe to be actually in another. When we have an apprehension of a distinction, we are said to discern; but when we conceive of images, especially of things which are not in existence, we are said to imagine; and the faculty itself receives the name of the imagination, just as the same person from sustaining two different relations, is called a husband and a father. "We may conceive what is intended by the names of Mary and Mediator; but if we conceive of the Virgin Mary as being a Mediator between her son and sinners, it is, in the opinion of every Protestant, an act of the imagination. The most common operations of the mind in this way, are those in which we conceive of two or more things as united or blended, which we have perceived in their separate state. Thus, we have perceived the head of a woman, and the body of a fish: we may

conceive of them as united in such a manner as to constitute one living animal ; and then, we imagine a mermaid: Any mental operation may be an object of conception; but no act of mind can be the object of perception.

"The Faculty of Memory, is that part of the original constitution of the mind by which it has present knowledge of its past mental operations. The operations of the memory, are either voluntary or involuntary. An involuntary act of the memory is called remembrance, and a voluntary one reminiscence, or recollection. While it is the business of consciousness to take cognisance of present mental operations, it is the office of memory to recall the past, and thereby perpetuate the influence of consciousness. We are said by an ellipsis to remember other objects than our own mental acts, when they are objects of which we have had some previous knowledge; because without memory we could have no subsequent knowledge of them. Thus, one who says, "I remember my departed father's face," conceives of such a face, as he once perceived, and remembers the perception; as well as the judgment that the conceived face is precisely like that which he perceived his father to have.

"The Faculty of Judgment is that part of the original constitution of the mind, by which it decides that any proposition is true or not true." The operations of this faculty are either Constitutional, Reflective, or Acquired. Constitutional judgments are such as result directly from the constitution of the mind, and are involuntary. Every proposition which is truly called self-evident or an axiom, is the object of such an act of judgment; and men will assent to it from the very make of their minds and the laws which our Creator has established for their government, so soon as they understand the proposition. Thus

a constitutional judgment, that the things which we perceive by our senses actually exist, is inseparably. connected with the perception of those objects. That I exist" is a constitutional judgment, which invariably follows an act of consciousness; and every one who is conscious of any operation of mind, assents to the statement, that he who is conscious has a being. Other similar judgments relate to the truth of such propositions as these-Every effect has an adequate cause-The whole is greater than a part-and a thing cannot exist and not exist at the same time. Reflective judgments result from the mind's looking in upon itself. Should I state to an intelligent Christian, who is strong in faith, giving glory to God, this proposition, "you love God," he might modestly say, "I conceive of the object of supreme affection, God, and of the mental operation of loving him; and am conscious that I do love him; therefore I judge your proposition to be true." When we judge from reflection, it is customary to say we know a statement to be correct, or just. Acquired judgments include all other operations of the judgment; and are thus denominated because we learn to form them. Many of these are dependent on some previous constitutional or intuitive judgment. The most important of our acquired judgments, are those which are called acts of faith. The propositions which are the objects of faith are always matters of testimony. God testifies, that he who believeth shall be saved, and that the wicked shall be turned into hell when I judge that these statements are true, or that the facts shall be according to the assertions, I am said to believe the truth contained in them.

The Faculty of Reasoning is that part of the original constitution of the mind, by which it arranges, combines,

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