Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1870-06-21
Total Depravity.

President CULVER, of Knox College,
touches some important distinctions in the
following talk to his students:
l have already explained sufficiently the
difference between perfect depravity and
what is termed in theology total depravity.
| think you must have understood the diff
ference between a man whose acts are all
ad-inwhom, to use the language of Scrip
ture, "dwelleth no good thing" and man
whose acts are all as bad as they can be-
You can see that all the crew of pirate
ship are pirates, and that all their acts are
piracy, and yet that some of them may be
worse pirates than others, and that the
deeds and spirit of some may be much
more cruel and wicked than that of others.
The special difficulty felt by the ques-
toner is, that there seems to be some good
ness even in bad men, just as there might
seem to be some acts in sailing pirate ship
which would not be piracy.
The explanation is that two kinds of
goodness are confounded, natural goodness
and moral goodness. Natural goodness is
the goodness which is created in man. 1t
belongs to his nature. 1t is the natural
and often the involuntary action of his sus-
capabilities and faculties. Moral goodness
is the goodness which a man creates in
himself, by his own choice of the right.
Natural ,rDOJ ,ag. 1o1n1Crg 10 ,,,o, IN o,,,-
mon with animals and even with inanimate
things, For example, iron has goodness
for certain purposes, wood for certain other
purposes. Plants have goodness in various
forms. Animals are often called good. We
say the horse is noble, the dog is affection
ate. But this is not moral goodness be-
cause it contains no intelligent choice be-
tween right and wrong.
So man, though a moral being, may
have natural goodness-that is, he may b.
good for various purposes, just as a pirate
sailor may be good at reeting topsails o.
telling stories, and many other things which
in themselves, are not piracy. Aman WHIT
is totally depraved, may be good to work
or good to study, or good to make his friend
happy, and yet remain, like the pirate,
bad man in it all. So long as these goOt
acts come from his nature and not iron
his will, and so long, as like the good act
of the pirate. they are all under thecontro
Of his general choice of an unholy life, 5
long they have no moral goodness in then
and will be counted by God sins and nc
virtues. 4 mere involuntary act of tn
sensibilities has no more virtue in it tina
an act Of the MUSCLES. 4 voluntary act {
the sensibilities partakes of the charactt
of the purposes which directs it, as all tn
voluntary acts Of the pirate sailor are pir,
cy. Virtue and sin are the highest acts
which a moral beingare capable. In the:
| lie his character and these give their ow
f character to all he wills, or feels or think
2 or says, or does. Virtue IS simply thechoi,
| Of the universal good, that is, the choice
l right. Sin is simply the selfish disregal
Of the universal good, that is, the choice
, wrong. Natural goodness, until it becom
e connected with one or the other of the
choices, has no more moral character thI
p, the winking Of the eye or the beating
e the heart. But as soon as it does becon
: connected with either, it receives its NOR
e character, 50 that even "the ploughing
l. | tho v.irl-o1 l. sir, -
e You see from this, that false philos
/ ply Of the mind is the cause of the rejt
is ton Of this fundamental doctrine of chr
4, tiauity, the entire sinfulness of all the a.
II of a selfish man, however much natu
= good there may be in them.
l. You see also that no virtue is possible
n you except as the result ola renewed hea
II Except a man be born again he cam
enter the kingdom of God, is truth
r philosophy as well as of the bible.
Or BE We transformed in the renewing
n your mind
n Keep thy heart with all diligence
Us out OF it are the issues of life"