Christian Theology - Media Sabda Org

endeavoured to be independent of God; all his offspring act in the same
way: hence prayer is little used, because prayer is the language of
dependence; and this is inconsistent with every motion of original sin.
When these degenerate children of degenerate parents are detected in
their sins, they act just as their parents did; each excuses himself, and lays
the blame on another. "What hast thou done?" "The woman whom thou
gavest me,—SHE gave me, and I did eat." "What hast THOU done?" "The
serpent beguiled me, and I did eat." Thus, it is extremely difficult to find
a person who ingenuously acknowledges his own transgression.
Sin is represented as a king, ruler, or tyrant, who has the desires of the
mind and the members of the body under his control; so that by
influencing the passions he governs the body. Do not let sin reign, do not
let him work; that is, let him have no place, no being in your souls;
because wherever he is he governs, less or more: and indeed sin is not sin
without this. How is sin known? By evil influences in the mind, and evil
acts in the life. But do not these influences and these acts prove his
dominion? Certainly, the very existence of an evil thought to which
passion or appetite attaches itself, is a proof that there sin has dominion;
for without dominion such passions could not be excited. Where-ever sin
is felt, there sin has dominion; for sin is sin only as it works in action or
passion against God. Sin cannot be a quiescent thing: if it do not work,
it does not exist.
After all the proofs of man's natural excellence, we have ten thousand
others of his internal moral depravity, and alienation from the divine life.
The general tenor of his moral conduct is an infraction of the laws of his
Creator. While lord of the lower world, he is a slave to the vilest and most
degrading passions; he loves not his Maker; and is hostile and oppressive
to his fellows. In a word, he is as fearfully and wonderfully vile, as he
was "fearfully and wonderfully made;" and all this shows most forcibly
that he stands guilty before God, and is in danger of perishing
everlastingly.