ing to any natural depravity, which their derivation from Adam rendered neceffary, but that it was a voluntary corruption, and had its rife from themfelves only; for it is faid, ver. 12. that God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. Befides, this state of the world is alledged as a juftification of the divine proceedings against them, whereas, if they had been corrupt by the necessity of nature, it muft have operated as a plea in their favour, with that being who confiders our frame, and remembers that we are but duft. If he makes fuitable allowance for the infirmities of our bodies, much more would he confider the natural and neceffary diforders of our minds.

Job xiv, 4. Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one. This is a proverbial expreffion, fignifying that nothing can be more perfect than its original, but Job is not speaking in this place of the guilt and pollution of man, but of his forrows and mortality.

Pfalm li. 5. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in fin did my mother conceive me. This also has very much the air of a proverbial expreffion, fignifying great depravity of heart, and very early habits of vice. That it was not intended to expreís a natural and invincible propenfity to vice, is plain, because that would be inconfiftent with the tenor of the whole pfalm, in which the humble author feems

disposed

difpofed to aggravate, rather than to extenuate his offences, to which this last mentioned confideration would have greatly contributed.

Rom. v. 12, 13, 14. Wherefore, as by one man fin entered into the world, and death by fin; and soi death paffed upon all men, for that alt have finned, &c.

I think a careful and impartial reader will obferve, that the apoftle fpeaks not here of the deathof children, whom he does not once mention, or refer to, through the whole argument. But he fpeaks of those who were not only capable of finning but had actually finned, and refers us to the Mofaic hiftory of mankind in the ages between the fall of Adam and the giving of the law by Mofes. Sin and death entered into the world by Adamn, and death hath paffed upon all men, for that all have finned, confequently must have tranfgreffed fome law, v. 14. For, before the giving of the law by Mofes, fm was in the world, but fin is not imputed where there is no law: and the law of Mofes they could not fin against before it was given. Neverthe lefs, death reigned from Adam to Mofes, even over them that had not finned after the fumilitude of Adam's tranfgreffion, i.e. by eating the forbidden fruit, or violating any pofitive law of life given to them. What law then had they finned against? Moft evidently, the law of righteousness which God had written on their hearts; the fanction of which they were also well apprized of (as the apostle speaks of

the gentiles in general, ch. i. 32, of this epiftle) Who knowing the judgment of God that they which commit fuch things are worthy of death, not only do the fame, but have pleafure in them that do them. Hence it appears that the apoftle does not fpeak of the fin of Adam being imputed to make men finners, and fubject them to death; but of actual and perfonal fins, and of death as the recompence of them. Now look into the Mofaic hiftory of this period, and we find before the flood that the wickedness of men was great in the earth.-Gen. vi. 5. The earth alfa was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. For all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth, V. II, 12. And after the flood, excepting the faith and obedience of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, we have little elfe recorded befides trangreffions of the law of righteousness, fins which men committed, though not after the fimilitude of Adam's tranfgreffion. As to the death of infants; God, the great giver of life, hath, undoubtedly a perfect right to refume it, whenever it feemeth meet to his infinite wisdom. But I do not recollect that the facred writers do any where represent it as a punishment either for Adam's fin, or their own. In a few cafes they speak of it as a punishment of the fin of their immediate parents, but then, as a punishment to their parents, who had finned, not to the children who had not finned...

Rom.

Rom. v. 6, 8. For when we were yet without strength, in due time, Chrift died for the ungodly. But God commended his love towards us, in that while wa were yet finners, Chrift died for us.

Let the intelligent reader judge for himself, whether the apoftle does not speak here of the state of mankind (particularly of himself and the persons he writes to) before Chrift's death, and the confequent publication of the gofpel to the world, and intimate that the cafe is very different fince that happy event Doth he not plainly make the diftinction in both verfes, that we might not mistake his meaning, When we were yet without strength, and while we were yet finners? But doth the cafe continue the fame, fince Chrift died, with thofe to whom the bleflings of the gospel are imparted? then hath Chrift died, and the gospel been published in vain. Yet fome writers represent the ftate of thofe for whom Chrift died, and who have received the gospel, as just the fame, as to ftrength, with them who had not received it, and who lived before it was published. Surely, any of us would be difpleafed to have our words wrefted to purposes fo different from our intentions; especially, when we had endeavoured to guard them from fuch abufe. God our maker hath given us intelligent capacities, fuited to those difcoveries which he hath made of his will, whether by the light of nature, or revelation; he hath given us alfo freedom of choice and action for the conduct of

ourselves; he hath granted us the light and motives of the gospel for our fuller inftruction and perfuafion; he is ever present with us and ready to affift our fincere endeavours to know and to do his will: furely then, it is unjust and ungrateful to him to say that we are still without ftrength; and if we be finners, it is wholly our own fault. As for the gentiles, even the worst of them, the apoftle no where ascribes their want of ftrength, to their not having received from their maker fufficient abilities to know and do

his will acceptably, but to their having voluntarily corrupted themfelves and one another, and thereby loft the abilities which God had given them, and become dead in trefpaffes and fins.

Rom. vii. 7, 8. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not fubject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

It appears to me that the apoftle speaks here only of perfonal character and conduct, and the effects of them in producing governing habits: but not at all of any corruption or depravity of the nature of man effected by Adam's fin, whereby he is become incapable of doing that which is good, or of pleafing God. Adam, or his fin, is not mentioned by the apostle in treating of this fubject. It is readily acknowledged, that a perfon who attaches himself to the gratification of his carnal or fenfual appetites and paffions cannot perform the will of God, but

must