CHA P. XIX.

Teftimonies from the Epiftles to the Romans continued.

A

CHAP. V. 12-21.

Comparison is here propofed and purfued, between the first Adam, by whom fin was brought into the world, and the fecond Adam, by whom it is taken away. The general propofition is in Verje 12. "As by one man fin entered into the world, and death by fin; and fo death paffed on all men, for that all have finned." The entrance of fin and punishment was by one man; yet they were not confined to him, but belong equally to all. This the Apoftle expreffes by inverting the order of the caufe and effect. In the entrance of it, he first mentions the caufe, fin; and then the effect, punishment; " by one man fin entered into the ' world, and death by fin:" But, in the application of it to all men, he expreffes firft the effect and then the caufe: "death paffed on all men, for that all have finned." Death, on the first entrance of fin, paffed on all; that is, all men became obnoxious to it, as the punishment due to fin. All men, who ever were, are, or fhall be, were not then exiftent in their own persons : but yet they were all, then, upon the first entrance of fin, made fubject to death, or liable to punishment. They were fo by virtue of divine conftitution upon their federal existence in the one man that finned : and, actually, they became obnoxious in their own perfons to the fentence of it upon their first natural existence, being born children of wrath."

It is hence manifeft what in the Apoftle intends; namely, the actual fin of Adam; the one fin of that one common perfon, while he was fo: for though the 'corruption of our nature neceffarily enfues hereon, in every man born in the world, yet it is the guilt of

Adam's actual fin alone, that rendered them all obnoxious to death, upon the firft entrance of fin into the world: So death entered by fin; the guilt of it, obnoxiousness to it, and that with respect to all men univer fally.

Death here comprifes the whole punishment due to fin-"The wages of fin is death." Whatever fin deferved; whatever God threatened to it, is herein comprifed. The Apoftle therefore lays it down as the foundation of his discourse, that in and by the actual fin of Adam, all men are liable to death, or to the whole punishment of fin: That is, the guilt of that fin is imputed to them; for the imputation of fin to any is, the rendering them justly obnoxious to the punishment due to that fin; as the not imputing of fin is, the freeing them from being fubject to punishment. And this fufficiently fhews the vanity of the Pelagian glofs that death paffed upon all, merely by virtue "of natural propagation from Adam, without any impu"tation of guilt;" which is a contradiction to the plain words of the Apostle: for it is the guilt of fin, and not natural propagation, that he affirms to be the caufe of death.

Having mentioned fin and death, the one as the cause of the other, he declares how all men univerfally became liable to this punishment, or guilty of death; (έφ ῳ παντες ημαρίου) IN WHOM all have finned;" for it relates to the one man, who finned; which is evident from the effect thereof, inafmuch as "in him all died," 1 Cor. xv. 22. It is true, that death is due to every fin, whenever committed; but our inquiry is, how death paffed at once on all men, how they became liable to it upon its firft entrance by the actual fin of Adam; which cannot be by their own actual fin yea, the Apostle affirms, ver. 14. that death paffed on them alfo who never finned actually and if the actual fins of men, in imitation of Adam's fin, were intended,

then

then should men be made liable to death, before they had finned, which is an open contradiction: for though God, by his fovereign power, might inflict death on an innocent creature, yet, that an innocent creature fhould be guilty of death is impoffible, for to be guilty of death, is to have finned. Wherefore, this expreffion-inafmuch as all have finned," expreffing the defert and guilt of death, then, when fin and death firft entered into the world, no fin can be intended, but the fin of Adam, and our intereft therein; and this cannot be but by the imputation of the guilt of that fin to us. And hence we argue,

If the actual fin of Adam was fo imputed to all his pofterity, as to be accounted their own fin unto condemnation; then is the actual obedience of Christ, the fecond Adam, imputed to all his fpiritual feed, that is, to all believers, unto Juftification.

The Apostle proceeds to explain his comparison, in those things wherein there is a diffimilitude in the things compared. Ver. 15, 16.

"But not as the offence, fo is the free gift; for if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, hath abounded unto many."

The oppofition is between the offence and the free gift; between which there is a diffimilitude, not as to their oppofite effects of death and life, but only as to the degrees of their efficacy with refpect to those effects. The effect of the offence is, that many be dead-the effects of that one offence were not confined to one perfon, they extended to many; to "all men" univerfally. By this one offence, because they all finned, therein they are all dead; that is, rendered obnoxious to death, as the punishment due to that one offence.

Be

The efficacy of the free gift oppofed to this, is expreffed as that which" abounded much more.” fides the thing itself afferted, which is plain and evi

dent, the Apostle feems to me to argue the equity of our Juftification by grace, by comparing it with the condemnation that befel us by the fin of Adam: for if it were just that all men fhould be made subject to condemnation for the fin of Adam, it is much more so, that those who believe, fhould be juftified by the obedience of Chrift, through the free gift of God. And that by which we are freed from condemnation more eminently than we are made obnoxious to it by the fin of Adam, by that alone are we justified: But this is by the grace of God, and the gift by grace, through Jefus Chrift alone.

In the 16th verfe, the Apoftle gives an instance in particular of the diffimilitude afferted in general before. And not as it was by one that finned, fo is the gift; for the judgment was by one to condemnation; but the free gift is of many offences unto Juftification.

Condemnation came upon all by one offence: but being under the guilt of that offence, we contract the guilt of many more innumerable; if, then, the free gift had respect to that one offence only, we could not be delivered wherefore it is faid to be of many offences, that is, of all our fins.

Adam, and all his pofterity in him, were in a state of acceptance with God, and placed in a way of obtaining eternal life and bleffednefs, wherein God himfelf would have been their reward; but, by the entrance of fin, they loft the favour of God, and incurred the guilt of death: but they loft not an immediate right and title to life and blessedness, for this they had not, nor could have before the course of obedience prefcribed to them was accomplished. But the free gift is not fo: for as thereby we are freed, not from one fin only, but from all our fins; fo thereby we have a right and title to eternal life; for therein grace reigns through righteoufnefs to eternal life,”

ver. 22.

The

ver. 17.

The fame truth is further explained and confirmed, "For if by one man's offence death reigned by one, much more they which receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteoufnefs, fhall reign in life by one, Jefus Chrift." Here obferve,

1. With what variety of expreffions the Apoftle fets forth the grace of God in the Juftification of believers. Nothing is omitted, that can any way express the freedom, fufficiency, and efficacy of grace unto that end *.

2. It is plain, that nothing more is required of any one unto Juftification, but that he receive the abundance of grace, and the gift of righteousness. And as this excludes all our works of righteousness, so it doth also the imputation of faith itself, as an act of ours; for it is by faith that we receive the gift of righteousness, and furely that which receiveth, and that which is received are not the fame.

3. Where Juper-abounding grace is exerted in our Juftification, nothing more can be requifite; for how can it be faid to super-abound, not only giving us freedom from condemnation, but a title to life, if any thing is to be supplied by works of our own?

4. There

* Δικαιωμα feems to me to be ufed in this argument for δίκαoλoynua, the foundation of a caufe in trial, the matter pleaded, whereon the perfon tried is to be acquitted and juftified, and this is the righteousness of Chrift. Awpnpa is a free donation, exclusive of all conditions on the part of those who receive it. Xapis is the free grace and favour of God, the original cause of our Justification. Xapja, Donum, Donum gratuitum; beneficium, id quod Deus gratificatur. Περίσσεια χάριτος, the abundance of grace is added to fecure bes lievers of the certainty of the effect. Δωρεα της δικαιοσυνης expref fes the free grant of that righteoufnefs which is imputed to us, afterwards called the obedience of Chrift. Be men as wife and learned as they please, it becomes us all to think and speak of those divine myfteries from this bleffed Apoftle, who knew them better than us all; and befides, wrote by divine inspiration.