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faculties of foul and body, and chiefly the foul; yet it is not any fubftance, fubftantial image of Satan, or any part of the man's fubftance, but fticks to him as an accident to its fubject; and fo it is faid to have entered into the world, that is, into men inhabiting the world, fo as their effence is not therefore changed: Sin entered into the world.

VII: Howbeit we fhould fuppofe, that Adam in the state of integrity, in regard of his body, which was made of corruptible elements, was naturally corruptible; yet if he had ftood in the ftate in which he was created, he should never have died, but have lived continually, free of all danger of death; for death entered into the world by fin, and fo unless fin had been, man had never actually died: And death by fin.

VIII. Albeit our first parents did not immediately die, and return to the duft, upon their tranfgreffing of the covenant; yet immediately did they pafs into a state of death, becoming fubject to the miferies of this life, as labour, Gen. iii. 19.

fhame, Gen iv. 7. pain, Gen. ii. 16. fit ficknefs, Matth. ix. 2. John v. 14. and death itself, Heb. ix. 27. Rom. viii. 10. yea, and the pains of hell for ever; for death entered by fin.

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head of that great family, his guilt is im puted unto them, and they, being then in his loins, are accounted tranfgreffors; all which was done by the good pleafure of God; and therefore it is added,. For that all have finned.

XI. The confideration of this, that we finned in Adam, and have that guilt imputed to us, fhould fatisfy us concerning the equity of God, in laying on upon us the fad confequences of that fin, viz. original pravity, feparation from God, death, with all its antecedents and concomitants, and fhould abundantly ftop our mouths; therefore he addeth this as a reafon to clear it,. For that all bave finned, or all have finned in him.

VERSES 13. 14. For until the law fin was in the world: but fin is not imputed. when there is no law.

Nevertheless death reigned from Adam ta Mofes, even over them that had not fined after the fimilitude of Adam's tranf greffion,---

confirmeth what he had faid touchEfore the apoftle proceeds farther, he ing the imputation of Adam's guilt, and fpreading of the contagion of original corruption, viz. that it reacheth all without exception, by clearing it as to one instance which would be most queftioned, or doubted of; for it might be faid, that no body could be guilty of any fin before there was

IX. All men of whatsoever rank, quality or condition, are, by nature, fubject to all the miferies in this world, liable to God's curfe and wrath, being enemies to him, and without his favour and good-a law promulgated, and that was not until will, and to hell for evermore; yea, and all must taste of death, and all becaufe of fin, which only hath procured all these And death by fin, and fo death paffed on

all men.

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the days of Mofes, and fo at least from Adam to Mofes people were free of this, feeing where there is no law, fin is not imputed. To this he anfwereth, and faith, 1. It is true, where there is no law fin cannot be imputed; that is, folk cannot be punished for the breach of a law which is not; but, 2. there was a law by which fin and guilt was bound over upon the back of people; and by this he doth not mean the law of nature, because that could not reach infants, of whom he is mainly speak

ing

ing here; but the law given to all mankind | in Adam and that there was fuch a law he proveth by this argument; Where fin is imputed, and death (which is the wages of fin) reigneth, there there was a law; but death reigned from Adam to Mofes, (as a moft cruel enemy, fweeping away young and old) even over them that had not finned after the fimilitude of Adam's tranfgreffion; that is, fuch as never did commit any actual fin, nor offended God by their own proper tranfgreffion, as Adam did; and fo he meaneth infants. And by this argument alfo he proveth, that fin was in the world even until the law; that is, that Adam's fin was imputed unto them, and they were found guilty of original fin, because if they had not been guilty, God would never have punished them with death; death would not have reigned as it did.

OBSERVATIONS.

I. The pofterity of Adam are not guilty before God, of Adam's fault, by way of imitation; that is not the way how Adam's fin is made over to them, and they become tainted with original pravity; for we find that fuch are faid to be guilty thereof, by the apoftle, who were not in a capacity of imitating any, viz. infants, who never fined after the fimilitude of Adam's tranfgref fion, for death reigned over fuch.

pointed that all (except whom God fingularly exeemeth, as Enoch and Elias, and fuch as fhall be in life at the last day) must die, Heb. ix. 27.

IV. Though infants be not capable of yielding obedience unto any command; yet are they guilty of the breach of that law which God gave to Adam, and they were bound to yield obedience thereunto; not as if they themselves could have done it, being not yet born, but in Adam their nature was bound, for he was bound not only to perfonal obedience, but unto obedience of the whole nature; and this is clear from their being fubject unto death, for, fays he, fin is not imputed where there is no law: and fo they had not born the punishment of fin, if there had not been a law above their heads; and fo the very natural contagion, wherewith they are infected, is prohibited by the law, otherways it would not be imputed unto them.

V. We may be fure that there is no fin fo fmall, but it deferveth death at the hands of God, feeing he punifheth infants with death, for that fin to which they never gave any perfonal confent, but only in their nature, and for that which they did not perfonally commit, but was only imputed to them; yet, according to justice and equity, death reigned even over thofe that had not finned after the fimilitude of Adam's tranfgreffion.

II. External judgments, and death, in- VI. Carnal reafon, which is always an flicted upon any, young or old, do abundenemy, to God and his ways, can hardly antly evidence them to be guilty of original fin at leaft; for this is the apoftle's argument, whereby he would prove, that children had original fin upon them, becaufe dea reigned over fuch.

digeft this, that infants, (whom ordinarily people count innocents) who never commited any actual tranfgreffion, fhould be bound over unto punishment, but Chriftians fhould be captivated un'o obedience to, III. Since Adam fell, however the god- and belief of, the revealed mind of God; ly be freed from the curfe and fling which and therefore doth Paul particularize inis in death, yet all without exception muft fants, and fhew, that feeing des reigned frike fail thereto, or to fomething equiva-over them, therefore fin was in them, and lent, this being unavoidably annexed unto they were guilty before God; for death tranfgreffion; therefore fays he, death reigned even over fuch as had not finned afreigned. It has a kind of dominion and ter the fimilitude of Adam's tranfgreffion. authority over all breathing; it being ap

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N the latter end of this fourteenth verfe, the apofle coucheth up the other part of the compar fon betwixt Adam and Chrift, or the first and fcond Adam, in thefe words Who is the figure of him who was to come; that is, was a type of Chrift who fome time was to come, but now is come not a if Adm were in all his actions a type of Chrift, but only in that particular which he now mentioneth, viz. That as by the firit Adam fin entered in o the world, and death by fin; fo by the fecond Adam righteoufuefs entered, and life by righteousness.

But now, left it fhould have been thought that thefe two Adams did agree in all points, because he called the one a type of the other, and that he may make way for the more full illuftration of this bufinets, he fets down feveral particuJars, verfes 15. 16. 7. wherein they do differ, and how the advantage is on Chrift's fide. 1. Then, fays he, Not as the offence, fo alfo is the free gift; that is, there is a difference betwixt Adam's guilt. which was imputed unto his pofterity, and the righteousness of Chrift which is a free gift of grace, bestowed freely on Chrift's iffue, in that the one is more efficacious than the other; for he fays, If through the

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offence of one, many be dead; much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, efus Christ, bath abounded unto many; that is, if to be that one man's office and fall, could hurt nore than himfelf, and put them under the curfe and fentence' of death, by involving them. in the fame quilt, certainly much more will more be made partakers of God's grace and free love, and be put into a ftaté of grace and get pardon and reconciliation by Jefus Chrift, that one Man; fo that the advantage is on Cari.t's fide: For, (1) the fecond Adam, being Jefus Chrift the Son of God, is fronger than the fift; and, (2.) God's free grace is ftronger than man's fin. The next difference is fet down, verie 16 and is taken from the nearest effects of both; therefore fays he, And not as it was by one that lined, po is the gift; that is, there is a difference betwixt that condition which we are into by Christ, and that which we are into by Adam; or betwixt guilt, which came in by Adam, and righteoufnefs, which came in by Chrift: And what is that? For the juagment, or guilt, was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences, unto justification; that is, the fruit and effect of the one is condemnation, and that is a!! which we get by Adam; but that which we get out of God's free grace in Chrift, is juftification, full and free pardon of our fins, and freedom from condemnation; and withal, he fheweth, how the advantage is on Chrift's fide, in faying, that the free gift is of many offences, whereas the judgment is for or by one fin, (for fo one may be taken as meant of one fin, as well as of one Adam); by Christ Jefus we are not freed from one only guilt, but from all our other tranfgreffions, and fo he became the au hor of many good things. third difference is fet down, verfe 17. and which confirmeth the former, and is raken from the more remote end of both; Fa if by one man's offence, death reigned by one much more they which receive abundance o

The

grace

grace

and of the gift of righteousness, ball ign in life, by one, Jefus Christ: The fruit and effect of Adim's offence is death, and death reigning; death reigns over all the paterity of Adan; but the effect of Chrift's righteoufaeis is life, and a reigning life; all his hill re gn in life. And the advantage here is oa Christ's tide alfo: For, (1.) Jefus Chrift is stronger than min; and, (2.) God's grace, and the gift of righteoufaefs, is stronger than fin; and, (3) abundance of grace is more strong thin one offence, (for fo one may be underflood in the lalt place) and to feeing they that have but one offence imputed to them are fubject unto the dominion of death, much more fhill they live, and reign in life, who have received abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteoufaefs, by Jelus Chriit..

From Verfes 14. 15. OBSERVE,

I. As Adam was a public perfon, reprefenting all mankind, and undertaking for them; fo that his engaging in covenant and his breach were not perfonal acts, bur done by him as a representative and public perion: fo Jefus Chrift who is now co ne in the flesh is a public perfon, tranlacting and acting with the Father, as a com non reprefentative of all his own; fo that as it was God's good-will and pleasure tha the first Adam fhould engage for, aud ftand and fall as the head of the family, for the lofs or advantage of all the reft; and God tranfacted and covenanted with him as fuch. a head, and not as a fingle perfon, as he might have done; fo it was God's good will, that Chritt fhould act as another head of a family, and with him as a head did God make the covenant of grace, so that his standing should redound to many: for thus Adam is called the type of him who was to come, that is of Chrift.

II. It is a remarkable token of God's great and wonderful grace, that we should read the way of our delivery and falvation in the way of our ruin and deftruction,

and the certainty of the one in the cer tainty of the other: for as in Adan who was a public perfon, we may fee the way of our perdition; fo hereby we fee, that our falvation must be by one, even Christ, a public perfon alfo: for this caufe the firft Adam is faid to have been a type of the Second.

III. Tho' man at the begining, when first created, was highly in favour with God, and advanced to great dignity andhonour; yet by his tranf reffing of the covenant, he fell from that excellent ftate: hence his fin is here called an offence or fall, as the word inports, fignifying falling occafimed through stumbling; not as the of fence.

IV. Whatever b'effing or privilege we enjoy in and thro' Chrift, all is of free and undeferved grace; and however Chrift paid dear for any thing we get, yet to us it is a free gift and fo that which is here oppofed to the fall of Adam, is here called the free gift.

V. Adan by his fall not only broke his own neck, but the neck of many more, and put his pofterity into a state of death and damnation; the covenant runing thus, Thou (that is, thou, as now engaging for all thy poterity) halt die that day thou eatert: o, through the offence of o .e many are deat

VI. Jefu Ch it the only Son of God, is true and real man, being like us in all things except in and is he head of a family, and the root of an excelicnt planting, and theref re is called here one man, as opposed to the first Adam, who was alfo one man. .

VII. As Chrift Jefus is a fappy root in himself, havin the fulness of the God-head dwelling in him bodily. Col. ii. 9. and all fuliefs, Col. i. 19.; fo is he communicative of this his fulnefs, and diffufeth it unto many branches that grow in him for that which comes by one man Jefus Chrift, hath abounded unto many.

VIII, That which this noble head of

the

the family communicateth unto the rest, is far different from that which the firft Adam did communicate unto his family; for whereas death was all the portion which the first Adam did beftow, the Second Adam procureth the free grace and favour of God, and all the fruits and effects that flow therefrom: grace, and the gift by grace, comes to us by that one man Jefus Chrift.

IX. The favour and good will of God, and all the fruits and effects thereof which believers meet with, are all purchased to them in and by Chrift, and all flow down to them in and thro' him: grace, and the gift by grace, is by that one man, and without him there is none of God's favour, nor any benefit therefrom, which any can meet with.

X. The doleful and lamentable condition which we have certainly fallen into by our forefather Adam, may afcertain all believers in Chrift, that they fhall certainly enjoy God's favour and all the fruits thereof, knowing that he is more able to communicate fap unto his branches than Adam was, he being stronger than Adam, and beftowing grace which is ftronger than nature for there is here a much more; much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace--bath abounded unto many.

From verfe 16. OBSERVE,

I. Though Adam had commited many more offences than one, yet it was by that fift only, whereby he broke the covenant which God entered into with him, which was imputed unto his pofterity, and where by they were accounted guilty before God, the reft of his tranfgreffions being perfonal, this was the fault and fin of the whole nature and fpecies: for it is faid, judgment (or the guilt) was by one, viz. offence.

II. As by this one tranfgreffion of Adam, guilt did lie upon all his pofterity; fo were they all unavoidably liable to the fentence of the law and condemnation; and this is all to which we are ferved heirs by

our first parents, viz. fin and condemnation for fin; the judgment was by one to condemnation.

III. There was no way imaginable how any of the loft and condemned race of mankind could be freed therefrom but by the Second Adam; and in and thro' him it is that they are freed from the sentence of the law, and of condemnation which lay upon them: there is no abfolution or juftification but in and thro' the righteoufnefs of Chrift, which is this free gift; the free gift is---unto juftification.

IV. Juftification is not the infufing of righteoufnefs in us, but an act of God's free grace, whereby we are pronounced free of guilt, in fo far as not to fee condemnation, or meet with the execution of the fentence of the law which is violated: for juftification is here oppofed to condemnation.

V. As believers, befide the guilt of Adam's tranfgreffion, have contracted much guilt by their daily out-breakings; fo in juftification they have pardon not only of that one offence of Adam's, but also of all their other iniquities, whereof they are guilty: therefore it is faid, the free gift is of many offences to juftification.

VI. This fhould ferve much to hold forth and convince us of the tranfcendent excellency of this Second Adam, in conveying what is his to all his own, beyond the firft; while as the First makes all his pofterity liable to condemnation for one tranfgreffion, and the Second delivereth, not only from that, but all other fins whatfoever; his blood is not only able to clean fe us from that one original fin, but alfo from all other actual tranfgreffions, 1 John i. 7.

From Verse 17. OBSERVE,

I. By nature all are liable to death's dominion, and may in juftice expect no other than to be feparated from the prefence of the Lord, and the glory of his power for ever, and fo meet with dearl

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