Epitome of the author's views on original sin.

with the following concise epitome of my own views, which, as I understand and believe, have been and are the received doctrines of the church of God, in every age:

1. Original sin is the effect of Adam's sin upon the constitution of his race, in consequence of his being their federal head and representative by a divine appointment or covenant.

2. It does not consist in the sinfulness of matter, according to the Gnostics, or in the sinfulness of the soul's essence, according to the Manicheans: but

3. It consists in the perversion of those constitutional powers and susceptibilities, which in Adam before the fall eventuated in actual and perfect obedience, and which in their perverted condition by the fall, eventuate in actual and total depravity.

4. It is in its nature involuntary; and yet, though certain and universal in its influence to pervert the will and affections, does neither force the will, nor by an absolute necessity of nature determine it to evil, or impair obligation, or excuse actual sin. It descends from Adam, by natural generation, through all the race.

It is a bias or tendency of nature to actual sin, which baffles all motives and all influence short of Omnipotence, to prevent its eventuation in total, actual depravity, or to restore the perverted will and affections to holy obedience.

It is this bias to evil, the effect of the fall, which, though impaired by regeneration, is not annihilated, but remains in the regenerate, which, combined with

No evidence to sustain the charge of heresy.

the habits of actual sin, constitutes the law in the members warring against the law of the mind, preventing, until the soul at death is made meet for heaven, the unbiased and unperverted exercise of the will and affections, in perfect accordance with the moral law.

It is denominated by Edwards, and justly, an exceedingly evil and depraved nature, as being in all its tendencies and all its actual results, adverse to the law; and on the ground of our alliance with Adam, our federal head, and our social liability, deserves God's wrath and curse, in all that comes to pass in perverted constitution, choice and character, including the evils of the life that now is, death itself, and the pains of hell forever.

Such, on the subject of original sin, are the views which I have always held and taught since I have been in the ministry; nor has any evidence been produced, that I have ever at any time believed or taught the contrary. The entire evidence relied on, is a misapprehension and misinterpretation of the passage adduced from my sermon; and there is now no evidence, not a syllable of evidence, to sustain the charge. Should it be inquired, why I did not explain my views on original sin, and the misconceptions of my discourse, to Dr. Wilson, as I have now done, and save ourselves and the church the affliction and annoyance of such a controversy; I answer, that I often assured Dr. Wilson that he misunderstood my views and communications on that subject, and requested him, respectfully and earnestly, three or four times, to permit me to make the requisite explanations, and was as often refused.

TOTAL DEPRAVITY.

On this subject my doctrine, and the evidence relied on for its support, are sufficiently manifest in the epitome which I have given of my sermon on the Native Character of Man.

It includes the absence of all holiness-the want of conformity unto, and the actual transgression of, the law of God.

It is universal-there being not a mere man of all the millions of Adam's posterity that hath lived and not sinned.

It is entire every imagination of the thoughts of the heart being evil only-there being none that do good, no not one.

It is positive as including the actual preference of the creature to the Creator, which is enmity against God.

It is voluntary-though occasioned by original sin, the will is not forced, nor by any necessity determined to good or evil. But though voluntary, with the possibility of turning to God, it is spontaneously immutable to any motive, but the word of God made effectual by his Spirit.

It was this view of total depravity excluding all

Total depravity fully taught and preached by the author. native virtue from the heart, motives, words, and deeds of man, which produced the reaction that occasioned the sermon on the native character of

man.

I taught with the Confession, that works done by unregenerate men, although, for the matter of them, they may be things which God commands, and of good use both to themselves and others; yet because they proceed not from a heart purified by faith; nor are done in a right manner, according to the word; nor to a right end, the glory of God; they are therefore sinful, and cannot please God, or make a man meet to receive grace from God. And yet their neglect of them is more sinful, and displeasing unto God.'

It is a doctrine which, in various forms I have explained, and proved, and preached, and applied, more than any other, as being especially the one by which the commandment comes and sin revives.

REGENERATION-OR EFFECTUAL

CALLING.

In respect to this doctrine I am not apprised, precisely, what is the form of error which I am supposed to hold. But if it be the Pelagian, as I conclude from the analogy of my supposed heresy, on the subject of original sin, it must be that 1 deny that regeneration is a radical change of character, and only an improvement of the good principles of our nature by moral culture. That it is in any special sense a work of God, and only as he has provided the instruction and motives which, by their natural influence and human endeavor, produce religion-and that, of course, regeneration is a gradual and not an instantaneous change.

To all such apprehensions I reply, that nothing can be more contrary to the entire course of my faith and teaching on the subject, as all the churches know which have been successively under my pastoral care, and all men who have attended my ministry with sufficient constancy, to receive the image and body of my preaching. There is no subject beside the kindred one of total depravity, which I have dwelt upon with such copiousness of explanation,