tracted where there is no law; this is expreffed in thofe words, but fin is not imputed where there is no law. Now in his allowing these three points, he is guilty of a flat contradiction; for if there is no guilt contracted when there is no law, and if there was no law in being from Adam to Mofes, then it will neceffarily follow that there could be no guilt contracted in that space of time, and yet the Apoftle exprefsly afferts, that until the law, fin was in the world: this puts us under a neceffity of finding out such a sense of these words as will make St. Paul confiftent with truth, and with bimfelf, viz. by the term law, in the first part of the verfe, he means the law given by Mofes, as appears from the next verfe, in which he faith, nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses; where the term nevertheless fuppofes that death prevailed at the fame time in which he had declared fin had prevailed, as in the precedent verfe, viz. till the law. So that till the law, and from Adam to Mofes, is, the fame thing in the fenfe of the Apostle. By the term law, in the latter part of the verfe, he means, fuch a law as had death fixed to it as its fanction; fuch was the law given to Adam, which forbad the eating of the tree of knowledge upon pain of death. By the imputing of fin, the Apostle means, the inflicting of death as a punishment for the breach of fuch a law; as much as if he had faid, death is not inflicted as a punishment for the breach of a law, except there be fome pofitive law which declares that death is fixed to it as its fanction. And that this is his meaning appears from verfe 14. where he faith, that death reigned from Adam to Mofes, even over them that had not finned after the fimilitude of Adam's tranfgreffion. Here he allows, that those death reigned over might be finners, but he denies that they had been guilty of the breach of fuch a law as Adam had; they had not tranfgreffed

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a pofitive law which had death fixed to it as its fanction. Now if they had been guilty of fin which the Apostle here allows they might, and in the former verse afferts that they had, and if fin is the tranfgreffion of a law, and if they had not tranfgreffed fuch a law as Adam did, then it will follow, that if the Apostle is consistent with himself, he makes a diftinction between law and law: they had tranfgreffed the law of nature, or the law given to Noah, and this made them guilty of fin; but they had not tranfgreffed fuch a pofitive law, as had death fixed to it as its fanction, and fo they had not finned after the fimilitude or likeness of Adam's tranfgreffion; and therefore death was not inflicted on them as a punishment for the breach of fuch a law, but was to them only as a confequence of that mortality, which Adam brought upon himfelf by tranfgreffing, as aforefaid. The sense of the two verfes I take to be this, viz. tho' we must allow on the one fide, that fin prevailed in the world all that space of time, from Adam down to the giving of the law of Mofes; and as we must allow on the other fide, that death is not inflicted as a punishment for the breach of a law, where there is no law, which had declared that death is fixed to it as its fanction; yet, notwithstanding this death prevailed from Adam to Mofes over those who had not tranfgreffed fuch a law; and confequently death could not be inflicted upon them for the breach of a law which they had not tranfgreffed, but only it was a confequence of that mortality. which Adam brought upon himself for the breaking of fuch a law.

Verfe 15. But not as the offence, fo alfo is the free gift: for if through the offence of one, may be dead; much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, bath abounded unto many. Which is, as if the Apoftle had faid, tho' Adam was a

figure and type of Chrift, and tho' the breach he made upon human nature was univerfal; yet, fo great is the favour and gift of God to us in and thro' Christ, that the reparation made by him, is as great and univerfal to mankind, as the aforefaid damage done by Adam; for if by Adam's fin, all mankind have fallen under the fentence of death; much more the grace of God, which hath been difplayed, in giving Chrift to death for us, and in giving the future refurrection from the dead through him, fhall be extended to all mankind alfo.

Verfe 16. And not as it was by one that finned, fo is the gift; for the judgment was by one to con demnation, but the free gift is of many unto juftification which is as much as if he had said. the grace which God hath vouchfafed to mankind in Chrift Jefus, is more abundant than the sentence laid upon Adam, as appears from this, viz. the fentence of death which paffed upon Adam, was for only one fingle offence; but the gift of a future refurrection, which God hath given to mankind in and thro' Chrift Jefus, is vouchfafed to us, tho we have been guilty not only of one, but of offences.

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Verse 17. For if by one man's offence, death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness, ball reign in life by one Jefus Chrift: which is as much as if he had faid, for if by one offence of Adam, death paffed upon all his pofterity, much more shall they all to whom God hath fuper-abounded in grace,

giving his Son to death for them (even all mankind) be reftored to life again thro' him. • Verse 18. Therefore as by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even fo by the righteoufness of one, the free gift came upon all men, unto juftification of life: which is as much as

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if he had faid, therefore as by one offence, even Adam's eating the forbidden fruit, all men fell un'der the condemnation of death; so by one at of righteoufnefs, or obedience, viz. Chrift's obedience to death upon the crofs, all men are restored to life again.

Verfe 19. For as by one man's disobedience, many were made finners (brought into a state of mortality, the caufe being here put for the effect) fo by the obedience of one, shall many be made righteous: which is as much as if he had faid, for as by Adam's fin, his pofterity became mortal, and fo paffed into a ftate of death, which is the state of finners; fo by Chrift's obedience unto death, even the death of the crofs, all Adam's pofterity, both Jew and Gentile, are reftored again to a ftate of life, which in that refpect is the ftate of the righteous.

That by the terms life, and juftification of life, and the like expreffions, in the foregoing verfes, is not meant that eternal life which will be the portion and inheritance of the faithful, but only a bare refurrection from that temporal death, which hath paffed upon all men, as a confequence or effect of Adam's fin, is plain from this, viz. that it will be univerfal to all over whom death hath prevailed, which is all mankind: whereas the eternal life, before mentioned, is every-where declared in the fcriptures to be the portion of none but the faithful. The Apoftle, in the foregoing verfes, makes it his bufinefs to prove, that the benefit and advantage mankind have by Christ, is as great and univerfal as the damage done by Adam, in order to prove, that the Gentiles have as great a fhare in Chrift as the Jews; and therefore, in his reafoning upon this fubject, he puts the term life, which he reprefents as a benefit from Chrift, in oppofition to the term death, which he represents as a damage coming from Adam; and he makes

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the benefit of the one, to be as extenfive and uni verfal as the other; which can be true in no other cafe, than in the general refurrection of all mankind, according to his own words, in 1 Cor. XV, 21. 22. For fince by man came death, by man came alfo the refurrection of the dead; for as in Adam all died, even fo in Chrift fhall all be made alive, or raised again from the dead. Thus I think I have vindicated the righteousness of God, and the doctrine of St Paul, from the unjust reflections cast upon both.

If it fhould be yet farther objected, admitting that there is no fuch thing as imputing the guilt of one perfon's actions to another, who is no way acceffory to his crimes; yet there is that which is equivalent to it, viz. Adam fo polluted himself, and buman nature (in him) by his tranfgreffion, that he hath propagated a finful nature (or a natural inclination to fin) to his children, and they to their children, and fo on to all generations, Christ only excepted. Now this finful nature, or natural inclination to fin, makes all thofe to be criminal, or guilty of fin, to whom it cleaves, and expofes them to the wrath of God, tho' they do never actually tranfgrefs; and therefore, tho' Adam's fin is not imputed to his pofterity, yet his pofterity, may in a lefs proper fenfe, be faid to fin in bim, inasmuch as they receive a finful nature from him, which makes them finners, according as it is written in Job xiv. 4. Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?_ not one. Pfalm li. 5. Behold I was fhapen in iniquity, and in fin did my mother conceive me. Ifaiah xlviii. 8. I knew that thou wouldeft deal very treacherously, and waft called a tranfgreffor from the womb. Eph. ii. 3. And were by nature the children of wrath. Answer; I have already fhewn what fin is, viz. that it is an irregular, dif orderly, or wicked act, either of the mind fingly,