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SECT. II.

Obfervations on Rom. iii. 9-24.

F the Scriptures reprefent all Mankind as wicked in their firft State, before they are made Partakers of the Benefits of Chrift's Redemption, then they are wicked by Nature: For doubtlefs Men's firft State is their native State, or the State they come into the World in. But the Scriptures do thus reprefent all Mankind.

Before I mention particular Texts to this Purpofe, I would obferve, that it alters not the Cafe, as to the Argument in Hand, whether we fuppofe thefe Texts speak directly of Infants, or only of fuch as are capable of fome Understanding, fo as to understand fomething of their own Duty and State. For if it be fo with all Mankind, that as foon as ever they are capable of reflecting and knowing their own moral State, they find themfelves wicked, this proves that they are wicked by Nature; either born wicked, or born with an infallible Difpofition to be wicked as foon as poffible, if there be any Difference between these; and either of them will prove Men to be born exceedingly depraved. I have before proved, that a native Propenfity to Sin certainly follows from many Things faid in the Scripture of Mankind; but what I intend now, is fomething more direct, to prove by direct Scripture-Teftimony, that all Mankind, in their firft State, are really of a wicked Character.

To this Purpose is exceeding full, exprefs, and abundant that Paffage of the Apoftle, in Rom. iii. S begin

beginning with the 9th ver. to the End of the 24th, which I fhall fet down at large, diftinguishing the univerfal Terms which are here so often repeated, by a distinct Character. The Apostle having in the first Chap. ver. 16, 17. laid down his Propofition, that none can be faved in any other Way than through the Righteoufnefs of God, by Faith in Jefus Chrift, he proceeds to prove this Point, by fhewing particularly that all are in themselves Wicked, and without any Righteousness of their own. First, he infifts on the Wickedness of the Gentiles, in the firft Chapter; and next, on the Wickedness of the Jews, in the fecond Chapter. And then in this Place, he comes to fum up the Matter, and draw the Conclufion in the Words following: "What then, are we better than they? "No, in no wife; for we have before proved "both Jews and Gentiles, that they are ALL under "Sin: As it is written, There is NONE righ

teous, NO, NOT ONE; there is NONE that "understandeth; there is NONE that feeketh "after God; they are ALL gone out of the

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Way; they are TOGETHER become unpro"fitable; there is NONE that doth Good, NO, "NOT ONE. Their Throat is an open Sepul"chre; with their Tongues they have used De"ceit; the Poifon of Afps is under their Lips; "whofe Mouth is full of Curfing and Bitterness; "their Feet are fwift to fhed Blood; Destruction "and Mifery are in their Ways, and the Way of "Peace they have not known; there is no Fear "of God before their Eyes. Now we know, that "whatsoever Things the Law faith, it faith to "them that are under the Law, that EVERY "Mouth may be stopped, and ALL THE "WORLD may become guilty before God. "Therefore by the Deeds of the Law, there fhall

"NO

Sect. II.

"NO FLESH be juftified in his Sight; for by "the Law is the Knowledge of Sin. But now "the Righteousness of God without the Law, is "manifeft, being witneffed by the Law and the

Prophets; even the Righteousness of God, which "is by Faith of Jefus Chrift, unto ALL, and upon ALL them that believe; for there is NO "DIFFERENCE, For ALL have finned, and "come fhort of the Glory of God. Being jufti"fied freely by his Grace, through the Redemp"tion which is in Jefus Chrift."

Here the Thing which I would prove, viz. that Mankind in their firft State, before they are interested in the Benefits of Chrift's Redemption, are univerfally wicked, is declared with the utmost poffible Fulness and Precifion. So that if here this Matter be not fet forth plainly, exprefly, and fully, it must be because no Words can do it, and it is not in the Power of Language, or any Manner of Terms and Phrafes, however contrived and heaped up one upon another, determinately to fignify any fuch Thing.

Dr. T. to take off the Force of the whole,' would have us to understand, p. 104-107. that these Paffages quoted from the Pfalms, and other Parts of the Old Testament, do not speak of all Mankind, nor of all the Jews; but only of them of whom they were true. He obferves, there were many that were innocent and righteous; though there were also many, a ftrong Party, that were wicked, corrupt, &c. of whom thefe Texts were to be understood. Concerning which I would obferve the following Things.

1. According to this, the Univerfality of the Terms that are found in thefe Places, which the Apoftle cites from the Old Teftament, to prove that all the World, both Jews and Gentiles, are under Sin, is nothing to his Purpose. The Apostle ufes univerfal Terms in his Propofition, and in his Conclufion, that ALL are under Sin, that EVERY MOUTH is ftopped, ALL THE WORLD guilty, that by the Deeds of the Law NO FLESH can be juftified. And he chufes out a Number of univerfal Sayings or Clauses out of the Old Testament, to confirm this Univerfality; as, There is none righteous; no, not one: They are all gone out of the Way; There is none that underftandeth, &c. But yet the Univerfality of these Expreffions is nothing to his Purpose, because the univerfal Terms found in them have indeed no Reference to any fuch Univerfality, as this the Apoftle fpeaks of, nor any Thing a-kin to it; they mean no Univerfality either in the collective Senfe, or perfonal Senfe; no Univerfality of the Nations of the World, or of particular Perfons in those Nations, or in any one Nation in the World: : "But only of thofe of whom they are true." That is, There is none of them righteous, of whom it is true, that they are not righteous; no, not one: There is none that understand, of whom it is true, that they understand not: They are all gone out of the Way, of whom it is true, that they are gone out of the Way, &c.-Or thefe Expreffions are to be underftood concerning that ftrong Party in Ifrael, in David's and Solomon's Days, and in the Prophets Days; they are to be understood of them univerfally. And what is that to the Apostle's Purpose? How does fuch an Univerfality of Wickedness, as this, that all were wicked in Ifrael, who were wicked,or, that there was a particular evil Party,

all

all of which were wicked,--confirm that Univerfality which the Apoftle would prove, viz. That all Jews and Gentiles, and the whole World, were wicked, and every Mouth stopped, and that no Flesh could be juftified by their own Righteouf

nefs.

Here Nothing can be faid to abate the Nonfenfe, but this, That the Apoftle would convince the Jews, that they were capable of being wicked, as well as other Nations; and to prove it, he mentions fome Texts, which fhew that there was a wicked Party in Ifrael, a Thoufand Years ago: And that as to the univerfal Terms which happened to be in thefe Texts, the Apostle had no Refpect to thefe; but his reciting them is as it were accidental, they happened to be in fome Texts which speak of an evil Party in Ifrael, and the Apostle cites them as they are, not because they are any more to his Purpose for the univerfal Terms, which happen to be in them. But let the Reader look on the Words of the Apostle, and obferve the Violence of fuch a Suppofition. Particularly let the Words of the 9th and 10th Verfes, and their Connection, be obferved. All are under Sin: As it is written, There is none righteous; no, not one. How plain is it, that the Apostle cites that latter univerfal Claufe out of the 14th Psalm, to confirm the preceding univerfal Words of his own Propofition? And yet it will follow from the Things which Dr. T. fuppofes, that the Univerfality of the Terms in the last Words, There is none righteous; no, not one, hath no Relation at all to that Univerfality he fpeaks of in the preceding Claufe, to which they are joined, All are under Sin: and is no more a Confirmation of it, than if the Words were thus, There are fome,