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The Golden Chain - Robert J. Wieland

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A careful reading of Melville and Winslow<br />

raises the question whether they disengaged<br />

themselves from Augustinian "original sin." In the<br />

19th century, few Anglicans or Presbyterians could<br />

do so. Poirier quotes Melville:<br />

"Whilst [Christ] took humanity with the<br />

innocent infirmities, He did not take it with the<br />

sinful propensities. Here Deity interposed. <strong>The</strong><br />

Holy Ghost overshadowed the virgin, and,<br />

allowing weakness to be derived from her, forbade<br />

wickedness, and so caused that there should be<br />

generated a sorrowing and a suffering humanity,<br />

but nevertheless an undefiled and a spotless....<br />

[Thus] Christ's humanity was not... in every respect<br />

the humanity of Adam after the Ml" (idem.).<br />

It is interesting that in Ellen White's use of<br />

phraseology from this Anglican writer she<br />

carefully avoided this tincture of Roman<br />

Catholicism that was implicit therein. Part of Ellen<br />

White's gift was to adapt what best expressed her<br />

thought and to leave untouched what was contrary<br />

103

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