great Hopes, if we do not fuffer ourselves to be blinded by Prejudice, in favour of any preconceived Scheme, it may not feem quite fo obfcure as this Author intimates; nor fhall we need fo much Labour of Criticism to make it intelligible, as he hath bestowed upon it.

Concerning the Confequence of Adam's Sin upon his Pofterity, we have here the following Particulars.

I. That by one Man Sin entered into the World, viz. into the World of Mankind: which will naturally lead us to conceive, that the whole World is, fome Way, affected with, and concerned in, Adam's Sin and this, indeed, is evident, because,

II. Death, which is the Wages of Sin, and which was the very Punishment that God threatned to Adam's firft Tranfgreffion, is actually inflicted on all Mankind ; Sin entered into the World, and Death by Sin, and Death paffed upon all Men, ver. 12. Upon which it is afferted in the next Words,

III. That all have finned, fo Death passed upon all Men, for that all have finned. It feems then that all Men are deemed Sinners, or, as having finned, in the Eye of God, on Account of that one Sin, of which alone the Apostle is here fpeaking, viz. the first

Sin, of that one Man which brought Death into the World. And,

IV. Not only after, but before, and until the Law (given by Mofes) Sin was in the World, and Men were deemed to be Sinners, and were accordingly punished with Death, through many Generations, while as yet God had given no other Law to Men (at leaft, which was generally broken by them *) in which he threatned the Punishment of Death, befides that which was given to Adam; and he is not so unjust as to impute Sin to his Creatures, and to punish them, for tranfgreffing a Law which they are not under. Sin is not imputed where there is no Law, nevertheless Death reigned from Adam to Mofes. And it is further manifest, that this Punishment was not then inflicted on Mankind for any actual Sin of theirs, because it was inflicted on a vast Multitude of Infants, who had neither eaten of the forbidden Fruit, nor lived long enough to be capable of committing any actual Sin what

ever;

* We find but one pofitive Law, which God gave to Men, from Adam to Mofes, that made Death the Penalty of tranfgreffing it, viz. the Law against Murther; Gen. ix. 6. Whofo fheddeth Man's Blood, by Man fhall his Blood be shed. But this Law was not given until more than 1600 Years after the Creation; and it is not probable that, after it was given, many Perfons fuffered Death on that Account. Yet all thofe Ages afforded but one fingle Inftance, viz. Enoch, of an Exemption from Death in the whole World of Mankind.

ever; and therefore had not finned in any Senfe, after the Similitude of Adam's Tranfgreffion, ver. 14. Therefore,

V. It was through the Offence of one, or through the one Offence of Adam, that many are dead, ver. 15. and by one Offence Death reigned by one, ver. 17. And fince the Sin of Adam is thus punished upon all his Pofterity; it follows,

VI. That they were all involved in that Sentence of Condemnation, which God paffed upon him for his Sin. And fo the Apoftle faith, ver. 16. The Judgment was by one to Condemnation; and ver. 18. by the Offence of one, Judgment came upon all Men to Condemnation. And fince it thus plainly appears, that all Adam's Pofterity are involved in his Condemnation, and are actually punished for his Sin, it must needs follow, and it may very properly be faid,

VII. That they all finned in Adam as their fœderal Head, to which purpose the Apostle writes, ver. 19. by one Man's Difobedience many were made Sinners, nalesá Inozv, which Mr T. very well translates were conftituted Sinners. They were fo conftituted Sinners, by Adam's finning, as to become thereupon liable to all the fame Punishment which had been threatned to his Tranfgreffion.

From

From all which now, methinks, were I to borrow a little of our Author's modest Language, I might fay, it certainly, clearly, and infallibly appears, that Adam stood in the relation of a fœderal Head to all his Pofterity; and it is, therefore, no improper Language to fay, that they all finned in him, and fell with him in his firft Tranfgreffion.

Let us further attend to the Parallel which the Apostle runs in this Paffage betwixt Adam and Chrift, the Type and the Antitype, in the following Particulars.

I. Both have done fomething, by which, many others that came after them, are affected, and with whom it fares, either better, or worse, for what they did. Through the Offence of one many are dead, and the Gift of Grace, which is by one Man Jefus Christ, bath abounded unto many, ver. 15.

II. That which the firft Adam did, with which many (that is, indeed, all Men, as having been represented by him,) are affected, and from whence they receive Detriment, was Sin, Offence, and Disobedience to God. They all fuffer by one that finned, ver. 16. by the Offence of one, by one Man's Difobedience, ver. 18, 19. That which Chrift, the fecond Adam, did, by which many (that is all to whom he is a fœderal Head) are affected, and from whence they receive Benefit, is Righteousness and Obedience. By the Righteousness

Righteoufness of one, by the Obedience of one, ver. 18, 19.

III. The Detriment which thofe, whose fœderal Head Adam was, receive through him is, their being made Sinners, that Judgment is come upon them to Condemnation and Death, which is the Wages of Sin, is, therefore, inflicted on every one of them. On the other hand, the Benefits which those, whofe fœderal Head Chrift is, receive by, and through him, are Grace, or the Favour of God, Juftification, Righteousness, and eternal Life. The Grace of God, and the Gift by Grace, which is by one Man Jefus Chrift, bath abounded unto many. By the Righteoufnefs of one, the free Gift came upon all Men to fuftification of Life. By the Obedience of one many are made righteous, ver. 15, 18, 19.

Thus the Apostle fhews the Parity betwixt Adam and Chrift, and betwixt the Effects of Adam's Sin and of Christ's Righteousness, all the Way; only in two Inftances he argues with a MUCH MORE, ver. 15, & 17. and fhews that the Effect of Chrift's Righteousness doth vaftly exceed the Effect of Adam's Tranfgreffion; as,

1. It removes many Sins, befides that one Sin of Adam, which involved all his Pofterity in the Guilt of it. If through the Offence of one, (or through one Offence) many

be