BUT TO CONCLUDE-We may be abundantly satisfied, not only from the nature of the thing, but also from what God has in fact done, that that constitution was holy, just, and good, and that he had full power, and rightful authority to do as he did, because otherwise he would never have done so-he would never have made such a constitution. It is plain and evident, from facts, that Adam was considered and dealt with under the capacity of a public head, and that death natural, spiritual, and eternal, were included in the threatening; for all his posterity are evidently dealt with just as if that had been the case. They are born spiritually dead, as has been proved in the former discourse. They are evidently liable to natural death, as soon as they are born :" And if they die and go into eternity with their native temper, they must necessarily be miserable in being what they are, unlike to God, and incapable of the enjoy, ment of him, and contrary to him: And God must necessarily look upon them with everlasting abhorrence; for he cannot but abhor creatures whose tempers are contrary to him: so that here is eternal death; and all in consequence of Adam's first sin,

Now then, if indeed we are, in fact, dealt with just as we should have been, had Adam been our public head, there can surely need no farther evidence to prove that this was the case; for the fudge of all the earth cannot but do right: and, therefore, he would not deal with us as being guilty of Adam's first sin, were not Adam our representative: But had Adam been. our representative, and his first sin imputed to us, yet then we should have been dealt with no otherwise than now we are; i. e. on supposition of the interposition of a Mediator, as is now the case for that we are now born into the world subject to natural death, none can deny, and this by virtue of Adam's first sin; and if we are really spiritually dead too, and so exposed to eternal death, it is just what might have been expected, had Adam stood for us-and so there is no more to be said: And if God be such a Being, as I suppose he is, and the law such, and the nature of true holiness such, then, as has been shown in the first discourse, there is no doubt we are, natively, spiritually

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dead: So that the force of this argument depends upon the truth of those first principles, which, I think, have been sufficiently proved. Right apprehensions of the moral law will, at once, convince us of our inherent natural corruption, and make us feel that we are fallen creatures.

REMARK. Perhaps this is the consideration which most commonly first leads poor sinners to see that they do actually lie under the guilt of Adam's first sin; and that their ruin thence took its rise, viz. their finding, by experience, when the spirit of God brings home the law and awakens conscience, that they are, by nature, dead in trespasses and sins; for now no conclusion can be more natural than that they are, by nature, chil dren of wrath: And this will naturally lead them to enquire, Whence this has come to pass? and they will presently find the scripture express and plain in it, that, by one man's disobedience, many were made sinners; and, by the offence of one, judgment came upon all to condemnation: and their own experience will give them the most natural comment upon the words, while they feel themselves to be, by nature, dead in sin, and exposed to eternal ruin: But now, "How could I justly have all this come 66 upon me for Adam's first sin?" will naturally be the next thought: And an awakened conscience will, perhaps first of all, reply, "How it is just and right I cannot tell, but I am certain "so it is, that I am, by nature, dead in sin, and, by nature, a "child of wrath ;-this I see and feel: And the scripture says, "that, by one man's disobedience, many were made sinners; and "that, for the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to con"demnation: And God's ways must be righteous, for the Judge "of all the earth always does right: And if I do finally perish, "I have nothing to say; for I have gone in Adam's steps....I "have been voluntary in my rebellion against God all my life, "and am at heart an enemy to him still, and that voluntarily so." And this may, in a measure, silence such a poor sinner for the present: But if ever he comes to be reconciled to the divine nature, and then impartially to look into the original constitution, he may then see that it was, in its own nature, holy, just,

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and good, and worthy of God, the great Governor of the world; and, as such, sweetly acquiesce in it, saying, "God's ways were holy, just, and good, and blessed be his name; but to us (to "all the human race) belong shame and confusion of face, for "that we have sinned." But until men are awakened, at least to some sense of their natural corruption, they are commonly very blind and deaf to all the scripture says about this matter. It is hard to make men believe contrary to their own experience to make them believe that they fell in Adam, when they do not feel that they are, by nature, fallen creatures. Let the scripture speak ever so plain, yet they cannot believe that it means as it says: It must mean, they think, something else. The best method, therefore, to convince sinners of the doctrine of original (imputed) sin, and to silence all their cavils, is to open the true meaning of the moral law, and show them their native depravity: This is the method which God takes in the Bible. He says but little about Adam's first sin, but says much to show us what we really are, as knowing that, if we are but once convinced of our native corruption, a few words are sufficient to show us whence our ruin originally took its rise.

Thus God, the great Governor of the world, in the gospeldispensation, considered mankind as being in a perishing condition....sinful, guilty, justly condemned, helpless, and undone; and one ground and reason of his looking upon mankind to be in such a condition, was our original apostacy from him in our first parents: And since that constitution, whereby Adam was made our common head and public representative, was holy, just, and good, in its own nature; and since God, the supreme Lord of all things, had full power and rightful authority so to ordain and appoint-hence, therefore, he has sufficient reason to look upon mankind,on account of this first apostacy,as he does.

Therefore, at the same time he provided a Savior for Adam, at the same time did he also provide a Savior for his posterity too; they being considered as one with him, and involved in the same sin, and guilt, and ruin; and so standing in equal need of relief: Hence Christ is called the lamb slain from the foun

dation of the world. Then was it said, that the seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head: To which original grant our Savior seems to have respect, when he says, God so loved the world, that he GAVE his only begotten Son, &c. Whereas, had Adam acted in the capacity of a private person, and sinned and fallen for himself alone, and his posterity not been involved in the same ruin, he might have had a Savior provided for. him: But his posterity would no more have needed one than the angels in heaven, or than Adam before his fall.

OBJ. But those words, In the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die, (Gen. ii. 17) were evidently spoken only to Adam; nor is there a word said about his posterity having any interest or concern in the affair.

ANS. So also were those words, in Gen. iii. 19....Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return, spoken only to Adam, without the least intimation that his posterity were any of them included in the sentence: And yet, by virtue of that sentence, all his posterity are subject to death....Rom. v. 12, 13, 14: Do you account for this, and you will, at the same time, account for that; for the truth is, that, in both cases, Adam was considered not merely as a single private person, but as a public head and representative, standing in the room of all his posterity: and, considered in this capacity, was he threatened with death, in case he sinned-and, considered in this capacity, was natural death denounced upon him after his fall: So that, in both, his posterity were equally included: and therefore St. Paul calls Adam a type of Christ....Rom. v. 14-and calls Christ the second Adam....I. Cor. xv. 45; because both these, by the authority of the great Governor of the world, were constituted public persons, to act in the behalf of mankind: And all mankind were so included in them, that St. Paul speaks as if there had been but only these two men, Adam and Christ: I. Cor. xv. 47.... The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven.

2. God, the supreme Ruler of the world, does, in the gospel, consider mankind as being in a perishing condition, not only

on the account of their original apostacy in Adam, their com mon head and representative, but also because they are, what they are, in themselves-(1.) Destitute of the divine image— (2.) Contrary to God in the temper of their hearts-(3.) Ut terly averse to a reconciliation-(4.) In a disposition, if unre ́strained, to live in all open rebellion against the Majesty of heaven, before his face-(5.) And yet insensible of their just desert, and of their need of sovereign grace; and ready rather to think it a cruel thing, if God should damn them.

(1.) God saw mankind destitute of his moral image; for being conscious of the holy temper of his own heart....of the holy propensity of his own nature-and being conscious to the temper of their hearts...to the propensity of their nature, at first view he saw what they were. God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God: Every one of them is gone back; they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doth good...no, not one ....Psalm lii. 2, 3: He saw mankind destitute of a conformity to his holy law. The law requires mankind to love God supremely, live to him ultimately, and delight in him superlatively-and to love one another as their own souls; but he looked down from heaven....he beheld, and, lo, all the human race were entirely devoid of that temper: None were in a disposition to account him infinitely glorious in being what he was : not one had the least relish or taste for the beauty of his moral perfections every heart empty of holy love and holy delight, and devoid of any true spirit or principle of obedience; and all mankind had lost that frame of spirit towards one another which they ought to have: The whole world lay in ruin. He knew his law was holy, just, and good, and that his creature, man, was under infinite obligations to a perfect conformity thereto : He saw what grounds there were for the law, and what reasons for their obedience: He saw his own infinite excellency, and his original, underived, entire right to them; and was conscious to his rightful authority over them: He judged them infinitely to blame for their non-conformity, and worthy of an infinite pun