Trollope on Article IX: Of Original or Birth-sin

the myBterioufl ezistenoe of the unity of the Godhead in a Trinity of Persons ; they have set forth the comfortable as- surance of redemption through the atoninsr blood of Christ ; they have shewn the essential office of tne Holy Spirit in the great work of man’s Salvation ; they have maintained the authority of Holy Scripture in establishing the truth of these important considerations: and they have recom- mended the use of the three Creeds, as containing a brief, but comprehensive, summary of what it is necessai’y to believe concemizig them. In this, and the eight following Articles, the compilers proceed to treat of certain doctrines, arising oat of the principles already established, and having a more immediate reference to Christians in their individual caj^a- citjf rather than as members of a Church. They begin with OHgifuU or Birth-Sm,

2. What is the doctrine of the Church of Eng- land concerning Original Sin ?

It is the doctrine of our Church in regard to Oriainal Sin^ that, in consequence of Adam’s disobedience, all his pos- terity inherit a vitiated nature and a carnal mind, by which they are constantly disposed to sin ; that this innate cor- ruption, which baptism does not remove, renders them liable to God’s wrath, and to eternal punishment; that the con- demnation, to which thev are thus exposed, is indeed set aside by the merits of Christ, imputed to true believers; but nevertheless the disposition to break the divine Law, which is experienced by the most perfect Christian, has in it the nature qf sin, even though it may not ripen into ac- tual transgression.

3. Mention any other view which may have been taken of the subject ; and quote the terms in which Pelagius speaks of it.

Some have asserted that Original Sin does not mean the natural corruption of mankind, derived from the progenitor of their race, but the sin of Adam imputed to each of his posterity, and rendering them liable to punishment ; while others, as the PelagianSf maintain that it merely consists in following the bad example of disobedience which be has set them. To this effect relagius himself is thus quoted by Augustine (de Nat. et Grat. c. 9.): — In Adamo peecasse omnea, non propter peceatum mueendi origine contractum, aed propter imttationem, dictum est.

▲BTICLB IZ. 35

4. Give a short account of Pelagius.

Pelaaius was a native of Wales, who, in conjunction with Celettnu, an Irishman, set on foot the heresy which bears his name in the beginning of the fifth century. His real name, however, seems to have been Morgan, which has the same signification in Welch that Pelagius has in Greek. He disseminated his opinions in Italy and F&les- tine ; but they were combated with steady perseverance and eventual success by Augustine.

5. Add a concise summary of the Pelagian

doctrines.

The Pelagians maintained that Adam was by nature mortal, and would have died, though he had never offended; that his posterity were not involved in the consequences of his guilt, which ii^ured himself alone ; that infants come into the world as innocent as Adam befisre the Fall; that flome men have lived without sin. and that man’s unassisted exei*tions are sufficient to enable him to keep God’s com- mandments; that gjaoe is in fieust proportionate to human meril^ and does not influence the performance of good works.

6. What is the Scriptural testimony whereon

the doctrine of our Church is grounded t

The Scriptures uniformly ascribe the innate coiTuption of mankind to Adam, from whom, as their covenanted re- presentative, it passecL with its fatal consequences, upon all nis posterity. ^In Adam all die’ (1 Cor. zv. 22.). It was but a short time after the full, when * all flesh had corrupted

• his way upon the earth ;’ and from the creation downwards the thoughts of tbe human heart have been * only evil con- ’ tinually* (Gen. vi. 5. 12.). God did not impute AdamU qffenee to his posteri ; but a corrupt seed produced a oor- Tupt nnoe ana thererore by nature * the hildren of wrath ’ (Eph. ii. 3.), and liaUe to punishment.

7. Shew that the effects of Original Sin are uni- versal.

Mankind are ’ shapen in iniquity and conceived in Sin’ (Psal. 11. 6.), and consequently * death reigned from Adam

• tm Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the < similitude of Adam’s transgn^ession’ (Rom. v. 14.), and will eo reig^ till the end of time. Infants and idiots, as well as

30 QUB8TI0NS AND ANflWERS ON

the adult and the sane, partake of the common mortality ; so that natural corruption, not actual Hn, must lie at tne root of this penalty.

8. What would have been the consequence of Adam’s continued innocence ; and is it to be supposed that human nature was not liable to the abuse of appetite before the fall ?

Had Adam preserved his innocence, the seeds of corrup- tion and death would not have been transmitted tiirou^h him ; but * who can brin^ a clean thing^ out of an unclean Y (Job ziy. 4.). It is not to be supposed, noweyer, that human nature was entirely free from any propensity to eyil before the fall ; since this would involye the contradictory notion, that man became capable of sin in consequence of smning.

9. Can God be charged either with cruelty or injustice, in attaching the penalty incurred by Adam’s transgression to all his race ?

Though all men are concluded under sin, and therefore liable to punishment, neither injustice nor cruelty can therefore be charged aguinst God’s inscrutable dispensation. It does not follow that all who deserve punishment win therefore be punished. Our Church even goes so far as to say, that baptized infants will certainly be saved ; and at aU events the wisdom and mercy of GK>d has provided a remedy as universal as the disease. All men have been condemned by reason of the offence of their first parents : but ‘as by ’ the offence of one judgment came upon all men to con- * denmation, even so by the righteousness of one the free gift ’ came upon all men to justification of life’ (Rom. v. 18.).

10. Is mankind so utterly depraved as to be in- capable of any moral exertion whatever ?

There are some who carry their notions of human de- pravity to such an extent, as to maintain that the nature of man is utterly incapable of moral good, in act or thought ; in which case he could be no more responsible than one of the bnite creation. Though *man is vei’y far ^one from ’ original righteousness,’ from that moral rectitude and purity of mind in which our first parents were created ; yet

the moral sense still remains, without which there could he no possibility of his incurring* any judicial sentence what- soever,

11. What proofs have we of the general propen- sity to evil, by which the human mind is naturally affected ?

The experience of every one, as well as the express declarations of Scripture, bears ample testimony to the Btelanoholy truth that the mind of man, from his youth up- wards, is prone to evil. * The carnal mind, ^poViy/ia aapKoSf ‘is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the Law ’ of Grod, nor mdeed can be* (Rom. viii. 7.). What St. Paul also again says, even the most faithful Christian will be ready to confess in his own case : — * I know that in me, that ‘is, m my flesh, dwelleth no good thing; for to will is ’ present with me ; but how to perform that which is good, ’ I find not. The good that I would, I do not, but the evil ‘which I would not, that I do’ (Rom. vii. 18, 19.). And again: — ‘The flesh lusteth a^inst the Spirit, and the ’ Spirit against the flesh ; and these are contrary the one to ’ the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would’ (Gal. V. 17.).

12. What do you mean by the word regenerated ?

See on the Liturgy, Sect. X. qu. 6. There can be no doubt of the sense in which the term was employed by those who compiled the Articles; for in this very Article, the same Latin word, renatis, is used both for the regenerated and baptized.

13. Shew that, without removing* the effects of Original Sin, the privileges conferred by Baptism are both necessary and important.

Bishop Burnet observes that ’ there is no reason to think ’ Baptism takes away all the effects of Origindl Sin : it is ’ enough if we are by it delivered from the wrath of God| ’ and Drought into a state of favour and acceptation ; and ’ if we are so far freed from the corruption of our nature ’ as to have a federal right to such assistance as will enable ’ us to resist and repress it, though this should not go so far ’ as to root all inclinations to evil out of our nature.’ That

38 QUESTIOI^B AND ANSWBBS ON

Baptism does leave the reg^enerate liable to be * drawn away ‘of their own lusts and enticed* (James 1. 14.) i is manifest from the remarks of St. Paul, which have been already quoted. Still Hbere is no condemnation to those which ^are in Christ Jesus’ (Rom. vIii. 1.), and who, with faith in the all-sufficient merits of his atonement, sincerely en-

• deavour to * abstain from fleshly lusts which war against *thesoul’(lPet. ii. 4.).

14. How far do the Eomanists differ from ourr selves in their notions respecting the removal of Original Sin by Baptism ?

The Romanists maintain that the effects of Ori^nal Sin are entirely destroyed by baptism ; but perhaps they differ in reality but little from the doctrine of this Article. They admit in fact that concupincence is still innate in man ; though they conceive it to have been experienced also in Adam before the fall, but restrained by those supernatural aids of which his posterity are deprived.

15. In what respect has concupiscence the nature of Sin?

Concupiscence and lust have the nature of sin, bein^ in fact sins uf iufiiinity, and liable to plunge the believer mto the most deadly sins, unless, by God’s grace, they be stren- uously resisted. So long as the will is not consenting, they are not sin properly so called ; but * lust, when it hath con- *ceived, brmgeth forth sin, and sin, when it is finished,

• briugeth forth death’ (James i. 15.).

16. Quote the passage from St. Paul, upon which the Eeformers are supposed to have inferred the sinful nature of concupiscence.

The Reformers are generally supposed, in this last clause, to have had their eves upon Rom. vii. 7, 8. * What shall

• we say then ? Is the Law sin ? God forbid ! Nay, I had ’ not known sin but by the Law : for I had not known lust, ’ except the Law had said, l^kou shalt not covet. But sin,

• taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all ’ manner of oonoupisoence.’

17. Was the term Original Sin employed in the earlier ages of the Church ?

It does not appear that the term Original Sin wbs in use before the timeof Pelagius and Augustine; but the doc- trine of the Church on this Article is uniformly maintained by the early Christian writers, who speak of man’s natural corruption, as derived, from Adam, under such expressions as the Old Sin, the ancient wound, the common curse, and the like.

18. Shew that the doctrine of our Reformers was held by ancient Christian writers.

Ignatius (Ep. ad Trail, c. 8.) says that the ” hlood ( Christ cleanses tia from the Old Transgression : Justm Martyr (Dial. Tryph, c. 79.) remarks that Christ was cru- cified Jbr mankind, who through Adam hadjhllen under death by the deception of the Serpent : Irenseus (Hser. iv. 5.) affirms that men are by iw other Tneans saved from the an- cient wound of the Serpent, than by faith in Chrict and him crucified : Tertullian (de Anim. c. 5.) speaks of Satan as having seduced man to violate the commarid of God, who therefore became subject to death, and catised his whole race, being infected by his seed, to be liable to condemnation’. Origen (c. Cels. iv.) says that the curse of Adam is common to all men; and (Hom. viii. in Levit.) that %f there were nothing in children to require remission, the gtrace qf Bap- tism would appear superfluo?is : Cyprian (Epist. 64 j main- tains that remission sins by baptism ought not to be de- nied to an iff ant t who, being but newly born, has yet in no way sinned, except that, as descendea from Adam, he has contracted the ir’ection of the old death from his very birth : and Augustine c. Julian, vi. 3.) declares that the mother is concupiscence, the child Sin : but concupiscence does not bring forth, unless it conceive ; and it does not conceive, unless it has gained the consent of the will to an evil action* Com- pare also Clem. R. ad Cor. c. 17. Iren. Haer. iv. 22. V. 16. Cyprian Test, ad Quirin. iii. 64. . Clem. Alex. Strom. II. 20.