05.04.2013 Views

The Conservative Reformation and Its Theology - Saint Mary ...

The Conservative Reformation and Its Theology - Saint Mary ...

The Conservative Reformation and Its Theology - Saint Mary ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

an evil propension which will affect the whole of its spiritual life, <strong>and</strong> that<br />

defect <strong>and</strong> propension have in them the essential element of sin; they are<br />

not in conformity with the will of God.<br />

This inborn something, which is not in conformity with the will of<br />

God, is related to temptation, incitement, <strong>and</strong> the power of example, as the<br />

seed is related to the soil, the dew <strong>and</strong> the sunshine which evolve it into<br />

germ, tree, flower, <strong>and</strong> fruit. It may be affirmed of the kingdom of<br />

darkness, which has its parallels so often in the kingdom of God, that its<br />

course also is, first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear.<br />

<strong>The</strong> question here, to give it shape from our figure, is not, "Is a seed<br />

truly a tree?" but, "Is it truly vegetable?" "Has it really the same nature as<br />

the tree?" And the reply is, It has. Nay, rather the tree is but a<br />

phenomenon of the seed; it is itself the parent seed developed, <strong>and</strong> its own<br />

perfect potency ends in a seed. If the first seed that ever ripened was a<br />

phenomenon of the first tree, this was because the first tree was a direct<br />

creation, not a mediate growth; but under the law of mediate growth, the<br />

seed is the proper presupposition of the tree--the condition of its nature.<br />

On the vegetable seed depends the vegetable nature. If you may call a<br />

seed yet ungrown truly vegetable, then you may call the seminal sin yet<br />

ungrown truly sin. Original sin, therefore, has not only the essence of sin,<br />

but it has that essence by preeminence. Nay, it may be said to be that<br />

essence, <strong>and</strong> relatively to it all other sins may be said to be in some sense<br />

phenomenal, derivative, <strong>and</strong> dependent. <strong>The</strong>re is an important sense,<br />

therefore, in which even beyond the sins of act, original sin may be<br />

affirmed to be truly sin. It is not a sin, it is sin.<br />

4. <strong>The</strong> attributes of sin.<br />

4. We argue that original sin is truly sin because it has the<br />

ATTRIBUTES of sin.<br />

Is sin EVIL? so is original sin. "God saw that every imagination of<br />

the thoughts of man's heart was only evil continually." Gen. vi. 5.<br />

Is sin UNCLEAN? so is original sin. "Who can bring a clean thing<br />

out of an unclean? not one." Job xiv. 4. "What

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!