mon good, that he might tranfinit that image to his pofterity, if he stood in his integrity; but on the contrary that loft and defaced in himfelf, fhould be loft alfo to his offspring. Adam as a

beneficiary received a stock from God, for the use of himself, and children, on thefe terms, that if he embezzled his Lord's money, or rebelled against his prince he should be deprived of the benefit received both for himself and his.* 3d. The punishment inflicted for the offence, was not fpecial, and particular; but general, and univerfal, extending to all his pofterity; which could by no means confift with juftice if the violated law, and the guilt arifing therefrom, had not been equally extenfive.

The confequence or penal effects of imputed fin, is either privative, or positive; the former confifting in a privation of original rectitude; the latter in an obnoxioufnefs to death temporal, and eternal; and although the fecond neceffarily follows the first, (except God in mercy interpofe) yet ought not to be confounded together. That one actual fin of Adam, may be faid to be imputed to us immediately, from whence we become obnoxious to that penal privation, as the certain effect of fuch caufe; and therefore in the order of nature, muft neceffarily precede that corruption, or privation; but as to the latter, it may be faid to be imputed mediately, as to the positive part of the penalty, or real fuffering; because we fhould

not

* Quæ Deus Adamo largitus erat, non ipfi foli, fed etiam toti ipfius pofteritati fuerunt data. ac proinde nos in ipfius perfona fpoliati bonis illis omnibus, in omnem hanc miteriam et maledictionem incidimus. Confeff. Galli,

not be obnoxious to that penalty, if we were not born corrupt and defiled.

19th, That the guilt of Adam's fin is imputed to his offspring is evident, in that they fuffer, who never perfonally finned, even infants, but fufferings and death are the penalty of guilt, therefore they, even dying infants, are esteemed guilty, or they could not suffer by disease, &c. and die. So long as death holds dominion over our infantrace, the evidence is too full against us to be denied, or baffled, that we are under wrath, and if we read the word of God with attention, we need be at no lofs to receive full information of the cause. Death came into the world by fin, faith the apostle Paul, and fin entered by one man, even Adam, Rom. v. 12. and, so in Adam all die. I Cor. xv, 22.* By one man's offence death reigned, and, by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation. And again, By one man's difobedience many were made, (literally, conftituted) finners, ver, 17, 18, 19. If the fin of Adam conftituted his offspring guilty, and obnoxious to punishment, only as defcending from him by natural generation; for the like reafon, not only all his other fins would have affected them in the fame

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* I am aware that the apostle's argument in this place refpects believers only, the refurrection of whom he is principally concerned to prove; yet doth it no lefs confirm the truth in hand, than if he had afferted this of individuals. For if the elect themselves, who through faith in Christ are delivered from hell, muft yet pafs through corruption to glory, much lefs are they who experience no fuch deliverance by him, exempted from that part of the curfe, bodily death.

fame manner; but the fins and tranfgreffions of every other parent alfo, muft be charged upon, and conftitute guilty all their descendants; but a procedure of this kind cannot be admitted without a train of abfurdities, and grofs inconfiftencies. Therefore the plain, rational, and most confiftent way of accounting for the guilt which the pofterity of Adam appears to lie under, is from the breach of that covenant, God made with him in the garden; and in which he acted as the head of mankind; the violation of which, by a just and righteous fentence, left the offender himself guilty, and all he ftood engaged for. Hence all the world is brought in guilty before God, by the difobedience of one man, Rom. v. 18, 19, imputed to them; and accordingly the fentence of death paffed, and the punishment was inflicted, before the law was promulged on mount Sinai, or written in tables of ftone, ver. 13.

And

The scope of the apoftle's argument in this paffage, is to prove that the guilt of Adam's fin, is imputed to his pot terity; and that by virtue of that law he tranfgreffed, mankind is held guilty. Suppofing fome objecting the doctrine he was establishing; "Sin is a tranfgreffion of fome law, "but as yet there being no law exifting, there could be no "tranfgreffion." The apostle replies, untill the law, that is, from the time that Adam fell, untill Mofes gave forth the law to Ifrael, fin was in the world, even fro from the day that Adam difobeyed; but fin is not imputed when there is no law; that is, where there is no law, there can be no tranfgreffion; but it is evident that the law existed, before it was promulged by Mofes, feeing, death reigned from Adam to Mofes, which both demonftrates the being of the law, and the imputation of fin by virtue thereof; for where there is no offence, juftice can inflict no penalty. You'll

And are we then obnoxious creatures, conceived. in fin, and brought forth in iniquity, yea, by nature children of wrath? Humbling thought! And fhall the fons of death and hell grow bold and infolent? Boaft of birth and blood; talk of bright unfullied reason, rectitude, and purity? Pride themselves in the dignity of their make, and from the imaginary depths of their own wisdom, prefcribe to omniscience? Be humbled O my soul, and fink into a deep fense of thine own vileness; confefs unto God thy native impurity, lament and bewail at the throne of grace thy many, too many actual tranfgreffions, and humbly fue for mercy in and through a gracious mediator.

How justly doth the Holy Ghost prefix to this haughty creature man, the epithet vain, vain man would be wife, though man be born like a wild affes colt.* Job xi. 12. When one hears a per

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You'll fay perhaps, it was the law of nature written on their confciences, which then existed, the violation of which, rendered the offenders obnoxious to punishment; but death reigned even over them that had not finned after the fimilitude of Adam's tranfgreffion, that is, they who were never capable of committing actual fin, as Adam did, even new born babes, who therefore could not tranfgrefs the law of nature, were yet fubject to death the penalty of fin, and hereby declared guilty of the violation of that law, firft given to

Adam their federal head.

* An humbling defcription this, of what we are by nature. The hebrew word (nabub) fignifies hollow, or empty, and may be confidered as opposed to that fullness spoken of by bleffed Paul, the fullness of God; Adam was filled with glory and happiness, but by fin became an Ichabod. Yet after all, this vain, this empty creature, would be wife, reacheth after forbidden wisdom, treads in the steps of his

fon in a delirium, talk of thrones and kingdoms, &c. while the poor unhappy creature is fhackled to the floor, having an obfure dungeon for his imaginary palace, and his throne of state, a bed of ftraw, it is impoffible not to feel fome tender and painful emotions of mind at fuch a fpectacle of human wretchedness; and fhould we be lefs concerned for, or otherwise affected towards thofe, who while they profefs themselves to be compos mentis, are yet as far from judging of the true state of things as the former; for profeffing themselves to be wife, and refufing to receive inftruction from the word of God, their wifdom is brought to confufion, and their understanding is abolished, and brought to nothing.

Ye must be born again, faid our Lord to Nicodemus, how can these things be, faid the jewish teacher; difcovering himself hereby, to be wholly untaught of the fpirit of God, inveloped in the gloom of natural darkness, and an utter stranger to the things that pertained to his peace.

Had he been taught of God, he would have been convinced of fin, and especially the fin of his natnre, the guilt and defilement derived from Adam; and being fenfible of this, his natural, or acquired logic, might have folved his doubt in respect to the neceffity of regeneration, and fug

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difobedient parents, and aiming at the tree of knowledge, will (if a miracle of grace and mercy prevents it not) lofe the tree of life. He is born like a wild affes colt, ftupid as an afs, ungovernable as a wild afs; untameable, but by an almighty power, unteachable, but by the fpirit of wisdom from above. Such is the distressful map of ruined nature, fuch is the moving picture of fallen man.