Total Depravity [pp. 470-478]

Total Depravity.
But surely no thoughtful and intelligent citizen approves "the
whole state of mind" of a man whose liberality is shown in the
use of money which he dishonestly stopped on its way to the
public treasury.
Dr. McCosh adduces several other illustrations, showing very
clearly "how the moral faculty cannot approve of an agent,
even when doing an act good in itself, provided he is in a bad
moral state, and living, meanwhile, in neglect of a clear and
bounden duty."
Perhaps those principles may be brought home more impressively to us by an illustration drawn from our national experience. There were men, a fewv years ago. in rebellion against
the Government of our country, whose private lives were
unstained by vice, and were adorned with social and domestic
virtues and graces. They were chivalrous in their intercourse
with companions in arms, merciful to prisoners of war, chaste,
temperate, truthful. WN'ere all these private virtues of any account to the Government so long as they were in arms against
it? In dealing with them as rebels, could the Government
abate anything of its severity on account of any good deeds
done in rebellion? Doubtless we must feel a less degree of
abhorrence toward such men than toward any who to rebellion superadded cruelty to helpless captives, or wanton outrages upon loyal households, or indulgence in low and degrading vices. Yet toward the Government against which they
were in rebellion their character as citizens was utterly lost.
The forfeiture was complete, entire, total.
Now let us recollect that in this earthly relation of citizenship a man's entire character is not involved. His whole duty
is not included in loyalty to the Government of his country.
But loyalty to God does include all his duty, and does involve
his whole character.* Disloyalty toward the Divine government is universal moral failure. Wrong there, at the centre,
a man is wrong throughout. He may not actually do wrong
in every case, but he is totally destitute of any principle
which would insure his acting right in any case where the inducement to wroing is great enough.
These observations show a just sense in which the depravity
of mankind is indeed a total depravity. They fitly illustrate
-Encl. xii. 13.
i 877.]
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