judiciously, and plainly treated by Paul in Rom. v. 15. &c. it follows that in the conception of him, who had been taught these grand truths in the third heaven; what Jefus the fecond Adam was to the people whom he reprefented, that was the first Adam, to the people whom he reprefented, even all mankind. Hence it is, that in ver. 15th, if through the offence of one, even the firft Adam; many be dead; much more the grace of God, which is by one man, even Jefus Chrift, the fecond Adam, and the gift by grace, even life and immortality, bath abounded unto many. If Jefus Chrift is thus appointed, and fet forth in fcripture, as the covenant head of his people; and if they obtain life, and falvation for the fake of his merits only; (a truth, which in this place I fhall take for granted,) then there can no imputation of injuftice lye against the divine procedure in rendering a reward due to the demerit of Adam, folely for his fin, to his pofterity. When Mofes the fervant of God had fummoned the people of Ifrael, to remind them of the manifold mercies they had been partakers of, and to fignify the Lord's pleasure furthermore concerning them, he thus addreffes the numerous assembly; 66 ye ftand "this day all of you, before the Lord your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers with all the men of Ifrael, your "little ones and your wives, &c. that thou "fhouldest enter into a covenant with the Lord "thy God, and into his oath, which the Lord

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thy God maketh with thee this day, &c. nei"ther with you only do I make this covenant "and this oath, but with him that standeth here "with us this day, before the Lord our God,

and alfo with him that is not here with us this "day." Now when we fee the Lord entering into a covenant with Adam, where is the absurdity of fuppofing him to fpeak in like terms, " Not only with thee who art here to-day, but also "with them that are not here with thee this day, "do I make this covenant."

If there be any of you that yet dare to inveigh and exclaim against the juftnefs of this procedure; I would anfwer fuch in the words of an eminent divine and fervant of Jefus Chrift. "What mor"tal now can flatter himself, that placed in the "fame circumstances with Adam he would have

better confulted his own intereft? Adam was "neither without wifdom, nor holiness, nor a "defire after true happiness, nor an averfion to "the miseries denounced by God against the fin"ner; nor in fine, without any of thofe things, by which he might expect to be upon his guard

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against all fin and yet he suffered himself to "be drawn afide by the craft of a flattering fe"ducer. And doft thou iniquitous cenfurer of "the ways of the Lord, prefume thou wouldst have "better used thy free-will? Nay, on the contrary "all thy actions cry aloud, that thou approveft, "that thou art highly pleased with, and always "takeft example from that deed of thy first pa

rent, about which thou fo unjustly complaineft. "For when thou tranfgreffeft the commands of "God, when thou settest less by the fupreme be"ing than by thy lufts, when thou preferrest "earthly to heavenly things, present to future, "when, by thine own choice, thou feekeft after

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happiness, but not that which is true; and in"stead of taking the right way, goeft into by" paths;

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"paths; is not that the very fame as if thou didst "fo often eat of the forbidden tree? Why then "dost thou presume to blame God for taking a "compendious way, including all in one; well knowing, that the cafe of each in particular, when put to the teft, would have proved the "fame." Witfius.

It seems when man's munificent creator had given him his being, and had exalted him to the dignity of lord of the lower world; that he (the great creator) confidered all the works of creation as conftituting the one great family, of which man was appointed the head; and on whofe conduct depended their continuance in that fair and peaceful ftate in which they were created, and which in the judgment and efteem of the great architect and economift was very goed. Therefore, when man the head of this family had offended, the whole became obnoxious through his offence; not only the children that should be born of his body were fubjected to the curfe, but also the beafts of the field, and the very ground on which he ftood. This appears from God-Almighty's fentence, in that awful day of trial, and his righteous procedure is not to be called in queftion. Unto the ferpent he said, because thou hast done this, thou art curfed above allcattle, (Miccol) more than all; if all cattle were not curfed together with the ferpent, the comparative (Mem) might appear to be without meaning in this place; and it would have been fufficient to have faid, thou art curfed, without refpect to every beast of the field, had these been exempted, quite exempted from the curfe. So provoking and displeasing to God was this act of man's difobedience, that for his

fake

fake, the ground itself is curfed; curfed is the ground for thy fake, thorns and thistles it fhall bring forth to thee. So defiled was man by fin, that nothing pure, nothing undefiled could bear his touch; but like the loathfome leper, his very garments fpread the contagion, and the breath of his noftrils infected the lower world.

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This curfe upon the whole creation, is probably what the great apostle has an eye. to, Rom. viii. 19. &c. the creature was made fubject to vanity not willingly; the creature, the whole frame of nature, especially this lower world, both fenfible and inanimate, as conftituting the one creation, or creature of the almighty's hand, was made Subject to vanity; became mutable and mortal; contracted an impurity, being fullied and ftained in every part, loft that perfection of beauty for pleafing to him that formed it, and became deformed by the fin and difobedience of it's appointed lord. Not willingly, the creature had no hand in Adam's tranfgreffion, was no coadjutor in his fin, yet for his fake, as being part of his family, was fubjected to the curfe by the judicial fentence of the righteous judge; yet ftill defiring, and longing for it's firft and perfect ftate, it is fubjected in hope, waiting and expecting with groans and bitter travel, the manifeftation of the fons of God. Awful fight! Enough to fill our hearts with pity, and our faces with fhame and blushing; to fee birds and beafts, fishes, and creeping things; together with all the inanimate parts of the creation, fuffering for our fins, and fubject to vanity for our egregious folly and difobedience. Man finned, the creature fuffers; yet man denies what the whole creation feels, and

with a mournful voice of ceafelefs lamentation loudly declares.

Seeing then that all the creation fuffered in confequence of Adam's fin, why should we attempt to exculpate the offender, or acquit his posterity from that guilt brought on the (otherwise) innocent creation through his difobedience? Why fhould the ground be curfed, the cattle, and beafts of the field, and the whole family of Adam be fubject to vanity, and his fons be exempt? If we are bold enough to affirm it to be unjuft in God, to charge the guilt of Adam's fin upon his pofterity, and punish as offenders in him, all that proceed from him; what fhall we fay of God's proceedings in this cafe? Doubtless his ways are equal, and his judgment according to truth; and our proneness to quarrel with his proceedings, does but produce a ftronger argument of our fallen and depraved condition.

It is a fettled maxim, that every effect is dependant upon, and owes its being to fome caufe, manifeft, or latent; and we never fcruple to allow the certain and neceffary existence of the one, when we cannot but acknowledge the being of the other. Now when we fee the creation fubject to vanity, mutation, and mortality; and man, that was made lord of the lower world, subject to forrow, fufferings and death; we must neceffarily infer, there is fome cause, by which fuch lamentable effects have been produced; and if this ftream be traced backward to it's fountain, we, fhall doubtless find it to be fin; for one may venture to affirm, had there been no fin, there would have been no fuffering, and guilt is as effential to fin, as light and heat are to the fun.

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