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in both foul and body, and that for evermore: by one man's offence death reigned. See Eph. ii. 2. 3. 12. Tit..iii. 3.

II. The children of the family whereof Christ is head are delivered from that state of death, and shall never be deftroyed in their fouls for ever, and bodily death fhall never harm them at all; they win to life by one, Jefus Christ.

III. The life which the children of Chrift win to thro' him, in grace here, and glory hereafter, is a noble royal life, tho' fools in a world do much undervalue the fame; and the change which they meet with is great, for whereas before they were flaves, and flaves, to the worst of tyrants, even to fin and Satan, now they reign in life.

IV Before any can win to this excellent Kingly life, and to reign in grace and glory, there must be a righteoufnefs had, for the Lord will not dwell with the unrighteous, and finners will not ftand in his fight, for he abhoreth all the workers of iniquity it is only fuch as have the gift of righteoufnefs that fhall reign.

V. This righteoufnefs which must be had ere we can be brought out of the woful state wherein we are by nature, is none of our own, nor none of our own purchafe; it must come from fome other airth than from ourselves, and is the free gift of God, and is therefore called, the gift of righteoufnefs.

VI. There are none delivered from this natural state of fin and death, and brought into a state of falvation, until once they be made partakers of the grace of God, and of his gift of righteoufue's, and that is by faith alone; for faith only lays hold on this offered gift of righteoufnefs, and puts it on; and this is the only way caryed out by God for this effect: they that

communicateth influences, and actually beftoweth the fruits of his death and mediation, are only fuch as receive him and his righteoufnefs by faith; and fo the benefits of his death redound not to all and every individual perfon, nor did he reprefent them all, but only fuch as were in time to receive abundance of grace and of the gift. of righteoufnef: therefore it is faid, They which receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness, fhall reign in life by one, Jefus Christ..

VIII. Whatever doubts and difficulties. poor believers may meet with, and however they may be long wrestling with fears of never reaching the crown; yet all fuch as have indeed laid hold on the righteoufnefs of Christ by faith, and received that gift, fhall certainly enjoy communion with Chrift in glory, and be faved for ever; and the certainty of their lost estate by Adam may put it out of all queftion: therefore fays he, much more they who receive abundance of grace,---fhall reign in life, &c.

IX. As Chrift is a moft rich treasure and ftore-houfe of all neceffaries for his own, and is an inexhaustible fountain unto his own; fo doth he communicate of his fulness, and that very liberally and abundantly; fo that believers may blame them-felves if they want: fo they are said to re-ceive the abundance of grace..

VERSES 18. 19. Therefore as by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation: even fo by the righteouf nefs of one, the free gift came upon all men unto juftification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made finners: fo by the obedience of one, fhall many be made righteous..

Aving thus cleared the difference be

merve abundance of grace, and of the gift H twixt the two leads of families, he

frighteousness, hall reign in life.

VII. All thofe who are truly in Chrift as branches, and do actully fuck fap from him for life, and to whom as a head he

comes now more plainly to hold forth the comparison, and thereby to clear the doubt. which might arife from his doctrine of juftification, viz. How could it be, that

by

not to be fo univerfally taken, but with
a reftriction thus; all the men that are in
Chrift as members, and to whom he is a
head; or all thete who are his, whatever
condition or quality they be of elfe. And
this is clear, t, From the fcope, which
is, as we fhewed, to clear how any can be
juftified by the righteoufnels of another;
but it we take all men, for all and every
individual perton without any limitation or
exception, the apottle's fimilitude fhou'd
come far fhort; yea, it fhould be no finili-
tude at all: For, 1. Adam's fin was really
imputed unto his pofterity; fo that hence
they are called and conftituted finners in
God's account, not only for the original
pravity which all haye naturally, as flow-

by one one man's righteoufuefs fo many fhould be juftified and accounted righte ous, thus By one man's righteouinefs many may be accounted righteous, juftified, and adjudged to life, as well, as by one man's fin and difobedience many were accounted guilty and adjudged to condemnation, being finners: Therefore, fays he, as by the offence of one, judgment came upon all mer to cond.mnation: even fo by the rig it sufness of one, the free gift came upon all men to justification of life: that is, as by Adam's tranfgreffion all his pofterity lay under the fentence of death, and were condemned by law; fo by the righteoufnets of Christ all his are juftified, and declared heirs of life eternal. And for the further confirmation of this, he fhewething from that guilt, but even for the very the ground of both, verfe 19. as if he were anfwering this doubt, How could either one man's fault make others iable to condemnation, or one man's righteoufnefs procure heaven and happiness to others? He anfwers both, and fo confirm eth the comparison; faying, For as by one man's disobedience many were made finners; that is, as by Adam's guilt, which was difobedience, many were accounted finners, having the fame fin imputed to them, and fo legally conftituted tranfgreffors; fo by the obedience of one, many shall be made righteous; that is, fo by the righteoufnefs of Chrift, which was had by his acts of obedience, not only in fuffering but in doing, many are clothed with righteoufnefs and put into a righteous ftate, and fhall be in all time coming. Chrift's righteoufnefs being always effectual for this end; and therefore the verb is put into the future time. The ftrength of the argument lieth here, As all finners are liable to condemnation, fo all righteous perfons are to enjoy life. The only doubt to be cleared here, is anent thefe all mentioned, verfe 18. the free gift came upon all men; whether this be meant of every individual perfon without exception or not? for anfwer whereunto, we think it clear, that all is

breach of the covenant which Adam conimited; and upon this they were really under God's curfe and the fentence of condemnation, and liable to the fire of hell: but all men have not the righteoufnefs of Chrift imputed to them in fuch fort as they may be called righteous, and are really juftified, and have real and undoubted right to happiness and life eternal, as none can deny. Now, if the comparison agree not in this, it agreeth in nothing; For, 2. this is the main thing, viz. That as Adam was a public perfon and reprefentaive, and fo his deed, who was but one man, wronged many; fo Chrift a Second Adam, (whereof the first was a type) is called one man alfo, to fhew that he was to be looked on as a public perfon; and fo his deed helped many: and if we take not up Chrift as a head, reprefentative, or a public perfon, we shall never make fenfe of the apoftle's arguing here; now fure am, he cannot be looked on as a head bu to his members, nor as a root but branches, nor as a common per on but for fuch only for whom he undertook, an whom he reprefented; and this I am fur cannot be meant of all and every one i particular, without exception. 2dly. croffeth the text alfo many ways; For,

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the apostle fays, verfes 15. and 17. that Chrift is more able to communicate good than Adam was to communicate evil; and therefore he addeth a much more; but if this were true, the first Adam fhould have been strongest; for thro' the first Adam all that were his, were really in a dead condition, and death reigned over them, none excepted; but all mankind do not really receive the grace of God, and the gift by grace, but many notwithstanding of all that Chrift did, perish, and are never delivered from under the dominion of death; and fo the Second Adam fhould have been weakest. 2. Thefe all men have the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is Chrift's righteousness and what floweth therefrom, abounding unto them, verfe 15.; but all and every man hath not this. 3. Thefe all men have received the free gift unto juftification, verfe 16.; but all and every man fhall never be juftified. 4. Thefe all men have received the free gift unto juftification of many offences, verfe 16. and fo not only get original fin pardoned, but all their actual fins alfo, and that at once; for we hear not of two diftinct juftifications, one whereby original fin is only pardoned, (which with fome is a benefit common to all) and another whereby their actual fins are forgiven; but this cannot agree to all and every man. 5. Thofe all men receive abundance of grace, verfe 17.; but I am fure, all men whatfoever have not faith, and fo never received grace, even though offered; and so grace was never beflowed on all. 6. Thofe all men receive alfo the gift of righteousness, verfe 17. and all men whatfoever are not, nor never fhall be, clothed with the righteoufnefs of Chrift. 7. Those all men fhall reign in life, and receive juftification of life, verfes 17. 18. and that no lefs certainly and infallibly, than the first Adam's pofterity were really and undeclinably under the power of death and fentence of condemnation; but this I hope will not agree to all and every indiNo III.

From verfe 18. OBSERVE.

I. As Adam's fin was really imputed unto all his carnal pofterity, fo as we are not only made finful, but finners thereby, and there is special mention made of one particular act of iniquity, and that one fo imputed as thereby they are made liable to condemnation; fo the righteousness of Jefus Chrift is imputed unto us, and made ours, fo that we are thereby accounted righteous: for it is faid, as by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation; fo by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men, &c.

II. The righteoufnefs by which we are accepted of God, and juftified before him, is not a righteoufnefs of our own, but the righteoufnefs of our head and husband: even fo, by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men to juftification.

III. This righteousness of Christ being the righteousness of God, Rom. i. 17. and x. 3. 2 Cor. v. 21. is able to cover all his own, and to do all their turns fufficiently, fo that none fhall lack: by the righteouf nefs of one, the free gift came upon all men.

IV. Tho' Chrift's death and fufferings were a ranfom fufficient to fatisfy juftice for the fins of the elect; yet could not they have inherited life eternal, if they had not been cloathed with a complete robe of righteoufnefs, feeing the law faid, Do this, and live: for it is laid here, that by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all to juflification of life.

From verfe 19. OBSERVE,

1. By Adam's tranfgreffion of the law of God, his pofterity not only contracted a vitious nature and difpofition, fo that they were prone to all wickedness whatfoever, but were really engaged in guilt, and made formally finners before God, as if they had broken the law themselves:

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therefore it is faid, by one man's difobedience many were made finners.

II. Tho' Chrift in refpect of his divine nature was equal with the Father, and could not, without a contradiction, be faid to obey; yet in refpect of his human nature, which had not an infinite effential holinefs, Matth. xix. 17. he may be faid to obey; and while he was in the flesh, Heb v. 7. did actually fubject himfelf to the law, and gave practical obedience both to the moral and ceremonial law, Phil. ii. 8. Matth. v. 7. and therein as in all other duries laid on him by the Father, as our Mediator and Cautioner, John xv. 10. Pfal. xl. 7. 8. 9.; therefore we hear of the obedience of one.

III. As Chrift was not made man for himself, but took upon him our nature for our good; fo neither was he under the law, and yielded obedience thereto for himfelf, as if fimply and abfolutely he had been obliged by the law, as a creature, but all his obedience was for us, as he was born for us, Ifa. ix. 6. fo was he made under the law for us, Gal. iv. 4. 5.: for here his obedience is ufeful for us, not only for imitation, but also to conftitute us righteous; by the obedience of one fhall many be made righteous.

IV. Howbeit believers have no inherent qualitative righteoufnefs of their own, that is fufficient to clothe them in the fight of God, their best righteoufnefs being but rotten raggs; yet are they legally confti tuted righteous, really and in truth before God, and fo have fome righteoufnefs upon them for here it is faid, many are made righteous.

V. It is not by any thing in them, or done by themfelves, that believers are legally accounted righteous; but only by the obedience of Jefus Chrift, not only that which fhined eminently in his death, but alfo which appeared thro' his whole life, fo that in his obeying we are accounted obeying, and his obedience is accounted ours; hence he is faid to fulfil the law for

us, Matth. v. 17. 18. Rom. viii. 3.

3.

and x.

Gal. iv. 4. 5. and we are faid to be made righteous in him, 2 Cor. v. 21. he is called our righteousness, Jer. xxiii. 6. and xxxiii. 16. 1 Cor. 1. 30.: for here it is faid, that by the obedience of one, many are made righteous.

VI. The efficacy and influence of Chrift's. obedience will not be foon drawn out, but. will be of force to all believers, and effectual for their use in all time coming, thro all generations to the end of the world; therefore the time is changed here, for the comfort of believers in all time coming, and inftead of faying, by one man's obedience many were or are made righteous, he fays, many fhall be made righteous.

VERSES 20 21. Moreover, the law entered, that the offence might abound: but where fin abounded, grace did much more: abound:

That as fin hath reigned unto death, even fo might grace reign through righteoufnefs unto eternal life, by Jefus Chrift our Lord.

Aving thus cleared and illuftrated

the doctrine of juflification by comparing the two Adams together, the apoftle further proceeds in clearing the fame doctrine, by answering fome objections, which men of corrupt minds would be ready to make against it. And the first objection is here preoccupied, and it may be thus taken up, If we be juftified by faith, without the works of the law, why then did God give a law? what ufe was there thereof? feeing we are not juftified thereby, it would feem that the law were needlefs altogether; but it is not fo, therefore your doctrine is falfe... The occafion of this objection may arife alfo from verfe 13. where he faid, that until the law fin was in the world; and hence they might fay, If fo, why did the law enter? To this objection he anfwereth in these two verfes; 1..By fhewing how the law entered: and 2.

The

ed by a law; and thus the law came that fin rnight abound, and men might fee their own vilenefs and bafenefs the more, and fo might be more willing to go out of themfelves, and look for righteoufnefs elsewhere. (2.) But where fin abounded, grace did much more abound; This is another end, and fo propoled, as it may be comfortable unto fuch as were troubled with the abounding of fin: that is, the law entered, that fin being difcovered, and thereby the grace of God in the gospel, pardoning, might appear to be great and

The ends wherefore the law entered. 1. How the law entered; the word properly fignifies, intervened, and fo he would fay, the law came in after the promife, and intervened betwixt that promife and the clear gofpel; and this fays, that the promise flands in full force, and fo the way of jultification by the free promife is not difannulled by the law; thus, this fame apoftle reafoneth, Gal. iii. 17. And this I fay, that the covenant that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot difannul, that it should make the pro-wonderful, and to abound much more, yea, mife of none effect. And fo there is but one way of justification, viz. by faith, in all ages; both before the law, in the time of the law, and after the law, the way is ftill one and the fame, and the law intervened, or came in, in the midft, for holy ends; all this is imported in that the law is faid to have entered, or intervened, and fo it could not wrong the good old way. Then 2. he fhews fome ends why the Lord made the law to enter; (for he mentions no more than what maketh for his prefent purpose) and (1.) The law entered, that the offence might abound; that is, until the law came, fin lay in the dark, and was not well taken notice of; men were guilty of many things which they did not understand to be fin, until the law came, which as a glafs difcovered many foul fpots which the dim light of nature would never have manifefted; and fo by the law was the knowledge of fin, and hereby fin abounded, more of them being made known than formerly; next, fin abounded by the law, in that after the promulgation of the law, difobedience did argue great contempt of the Law-giver, and fo did discover great perverfenefs and ftubbornnefs which would not have kythed before; yea moreover fin abounded by the coming of the law, in that thereby the ftrength of inward corruption was difcovered, in that it broke out with the greater force, the more it was curbed and restrain

to abound more than can be expreffed, in that it drowns quite up the whole deluge of fin, however abounding and fwelling. (3.) This laft remote end is more illuftrated, verfe 21. That as fin hath reigned unto death, even fo might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life, through Jefus Christ our Lord; that is, as fin hath acted the part of a tyrant, and domineered fo as to manifeft its force and power in killing and deftroying condemned fouls; for the fting of death is fin, and death could have no power over a man but because of fin, and fo fin reigneth; fo the free grace of the gofpel, or of God in the gofpel, might reign alfo, that is, appear more ftrong and excellent, in fubduing and abolifhing fin the former tyrant, and bring in eternal life; but how? through righteouf nefs; but whofe righteoufnets? by Jefus Christ our Lord; not our own, but his who is our Lord and Saviour: Now he fays, fin reigned, in the præterite time, not as it were not yet reigning in the reprobate, but to fhew, that fo foon as the grace of God in Chrift begins to fhine upon a foul, then the do ninion of fin and death ceafeth, and not until then.

OBSERVATIONS.

I. It ferveth not a little to illuftrate and clear the truth, to fhew the groundleffnefs of what objections adverfaries thereunto may make against the fame, and therefore

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