QUEST. 18. Wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell? ANSW. The sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell, consists in the guilt of Adam's first sin, the want of original righteousness, and the corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called original sin, together with all actual transgressions which proceed from it. EXPLICATION. The state whereinto man fell, is our natural state and that is both a sinful, and a miserable state. Our natural state is a sinful state, in respect of original sin, and in respect of actual transgressions. Original sin, in its full extent, is the guilt of Adam's first sin, the want of original righteousness, and the corruption of the whole nature. All and every one of Adam's natural race, are born or conceived in it: Rom. v. 12, " By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that ail have sinned." Psalm li. 5, "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me." It is derived to us from Adam the original of mankind, Rom. v. 12, forecited. And it is conveyed to us by natural generation: Job xiv. 4, "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one." Psalm li. 5, forecited. Even holy parents convey it to their children; because they procreate their children after their own natural image: Gen. 3,"And Adam begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth." Now, our natural state is a sinful state, in respect of original sin; inasmuch as original sin, being a fountain of sin, remains entire, in its guilt, filth, and power on every man, as long as he is in that state. Original sin, consists of three parts. V. The first part of original sin, is the guilt of Adam's first sin. Adam's first sin was the eating of the forbidden fruit, whereby the covenant of works was broken. The guilt of that sin is an obligation to punishment for it. And that guilt lies on all men by nature: Rom. v. 18, "By the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation." Now, this guilt of Adam's first sin, is original sin imputed. The only remedy for it is in Jesus Christ, 1 Cor. xv. 22, "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive:" and that from his blood, which removes it in justification, Eph. i. 7, "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace." Rom. iii. 24, "Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ." The second part of original sin, is the want of original righteousness. Original righteousness is that righteousness wherein man was created in the image of God. And all men by nature are under the want of that: Rom. iii. 23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Eph. iv. 18, “ Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart." In the want of original righteousness, is included the want of that knowledge in the understanding, the want of that righteousness in the will, and the want of that holiness in the affections, wherewith man was endued at his creation and all men by nature are under these wants: Job xi. 12, "For vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass's colt." Eccles. vii. 29, "Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions." Rom. vii. 18, "For I know, that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing for to will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good, I find not." Now, the want of original righteousness is a sin; forasmuch as it is a want of conformity to the law of God: Matth. v. ult., "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Compared with 1 John iii. 4, "Whosoever committeth sin, transgresseth also the law for sin is the transgression of the law." It can be our sin, who never had that righteousness in our own persons, because we had it, and lost it in Adam, sinning in him and we are justly left under the want of it, for our guilt of Adam's first sin: Eccles. vii. 29, forecited. Rom. v. 12, " 'By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” The third part of original sin is the corruption of the whole nature and this is what is commonly called original sin, as being the worst part of it. The corruption of nature is that vicious quality in-bred in us, whereby our nature is utterly disabled for, and opposite to all spiritual good, and prone to the contrary evils continually: Rom. v. 6, "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." Chap. viii. 7, "The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." Gen. vi. 5, "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." And one may know his own nature to be corrupt, by the backwardness to good, and forwardness to evil he may find in himself. Now, man's nature, in his natural state, is not corrupted in part only, but wholly corrupted in every part: Eph. ii. 1, 2, 3, “And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins. Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past, in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh, and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others." Tit. i. 15, "Unto the pure all things are pure but unto them that are defiled, and unbelieving, is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled." For the case the understanding is in, it is utterly darkened, in point of spiritual discerning: 1 Cor. ii. 14, "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." The will, it is quite opposite to the will of God: Rom. viii. 7, forecited. The affections, they are wholly carnal: Rom. vii. 14, "For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin." Chap. viii. 5. "They that are after the flesh, do mind the things of the flesh." The body and its members, they are instruments of unrighteousness, and servants to iniquity: Rom. vi. 12, 19, "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. I speak after the manner of men, because of the infirmity of your flesh for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness, unto holiness." The want of original righteousness, and the corruption of his whole nature, are original sin inherent, which the Scripture expresseth both in negative and positive terms: Eph. iv. 18, "Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart." Rom. viii. 7, "The carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." The only remedy for original sin inherent, is in Jesus Christ, 1 Cor. xv. 22, "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive; and that from his Spirit; who begins the removal of it in regeneration, or quickening of the dead soul, carries it on in sanctification, and perfects it in glorification: John xi. 63, "It is the Spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." 1 Cor. vi. 11, "Ye are washed, ye are sanctified, ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." Rom. viii. 23, "And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." Actual transgressions are breaches of God's law by omission or commission, in thoughts, words, or deeds. The fountain which they all proceed from in us, is the corruption of our nature: Matth. xv. 19, "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies." Our natural state is a sinful state, in respect of actual transgressions, inasmuch as all the actions of a natural man are actual transgressions, and the guilt and filth of them all, and of all his omissions of duty, abide fast on him as long as he is in that state: Gen. vi. 5, "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Eph. ii. 1, “And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins." A man in his natural state cannot do any thing truly good; because his nature is wholly corrupt: Matth. vii. 18, "A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit: neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit." His natural actions, such as eating and drinking, are sin: Zech. vii. 6, "And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did ye not eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?" His civil actions, such as plowing and sowing, are sin: Prov. xxi. 4, "The plowing of the wicked is sin." And his religious actions are sin, Prov. xv. 8, "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord." QUEST. 19. What is the misery of that estate whereinto man fell? ANSW. All mankind, by their fall, lost communion with God, are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable to all miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell for ever. EXPLICATION. Our natural state is a miserable state too. And all mankind is in that miserable state by nature. That comes to pass, by their fall in Adam: Rom. v. 12, "By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Our natural state is a miserable state, in respect of what loss man sustains, what he lies under, and what he is liable to, in it. The loss which man sustains in his natural state, is the loss of communion with God. Communion with God is a friendly inter course between God and a soul, arising from a peculiar interest in one another Cant. ii. 16, "My beloved is mine, and I am his." man had such communion with God before the fall; and that without a Mediator: Gal. iii. 20, "Now a mediator is not a mediator of one; but God is one." But he lost it, by the fall: Gen. iii. 8, "And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God, amongst the trees of the garden." And none attain to this communion again, as long as they are in their natural state, whatever duties of worship they go about: Eph. ii. 12, “At that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world." It is recovered only in the way of union with Jesus Christ, ver. 13, "But now in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off, are made nigh by the blood of Christ." What man lies under in his natural state, is God's wrath and curse. The wrath of God he lies under, is revenging wrath; and all men in their natural state are under that wrath: Eph. ii. 3, "We were by nature the children of wrath, even as others." John iii. ult., "He that believeth on the Son, hath everlasting life and he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." The curse he lies under, is the sentence of the broken law, binding over the sinner to revenging wrath, to the full and all men in their natural state are under it, Gal. iii. 10, "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." curse. What man is liable to in his natural state, is, all miseries in this life, death itself, and the pains of hell for ever, in virtue of the The miseries in this life the natural man is liable to, are all inward and outward miseries of life, laid on in virtue of the curse: Lam. iii. 39, "Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?" The inward miseries of life he is so made liable to, are spiritual plagues, such as blindness of mind, hardness of heart, vileness of affections, horror of conscience, and the like: Eph. iv. 18, "Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart." Rom. ii. 5, "But, after thy hardness and impenitent heart, treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God." Chap. i. 26, "For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections." Isa. xxxiii. 14, "The sinners in Zion are afraid, fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites: who among us |