CHAPTEE I 



ORIGINS 



FEOM the standpoint of modern science nothing 

 can be more absurd than the discussion of Orig- 

 inal Sin by Augustin as he comes to deal with 

 sin in its action in our animal nature. That 

 which the scientist regards as the necessary im- 

 pulse of nature, wisely and divinely arranged for 

 the continuance of human beings on the earth, 

 and the provision for their health and well-being, 

 Augustin assumes to be the result of the intro- 

 duction of sin. This sinfulness may be assumed 

 as axiomatic from his point of view, because the 

 functioning of nature is attended with fleshly 

 gratification; as if the hatefulness and painful- 

 ness of an action were the only conditions that 

 would save if from being sinful. He seeks to de- 

 duce from Scripture hints as to the pleasureless 

 working of human nature before sin had entered 

 the world. 



The assumption that sin only is pleasurable 

 is unfounded; the necessity of explaining away 

 the gratification is forced; and any such inter- 

 pretation of Scripture must be erroneous, unless 

 we assume that the Bible was written by some 

 authority as inimical to modern science as Augus- 



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