14. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Mofes, even over them that had not finned after the Similitude of Adam's tranfgreffion, who is the figure of him that was to come.

15. But not as the offence fo alfo is the free gift. For if through the offence of one ‡ many be dead; MUCH MORE the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jefus Christ, bath abounded unto many.

16. And not as it was by one that finned, so is the gift; for the judgment was by ONE unto condemnation; but the free gift is of MANY offences unto juftification.

17. For if by one man's offence, death reigned by one, MUCH MORE they which receive the ABUNDANCE of grace, and of the gift of righteousness, fall reign in life by one, Jefus Chrift.

18. Therefore as by the offence of one, [Judgment came] upon all men to condemnation : even fo by the righteousness of one [the free Gift came] upon all men unto juftification of life.

19. For as by one man's disobedience ‡ many were made finners: fo by the obedience of one fall many be made righteous.

THE first thing we have to do, is to fee if we can find any thing certain and evident in this feemingly obfcure Paragraph, that we may carry as much Light as poffible before us. And

The Many; woλλe, all Mankind.

I. No Man can deny, or doubt that the Apoftle is here fpeaking of that DEATH which we all die, when this prefent Life is extinguished, and the Body returns to the Duft of the Earth. He fpeaks of that DEATH evidently which entered into the World by Adam's Sin; that DEATH which is common to all Mankind; which paffeth, or cometh, upon all Men, good and bad, the righteous as well as the wicked, ver. 12. That DEATH which reigned from Adam to Mofes, even over them that had not finned after the fimilitude of Adam's tranfgreffion, ver. 14. Of that DEATH, and of no other, he speaks in the 15th Verse; For if by the Tranfgreffion of one many be DEAD. And in the 17th Verse, For if by one man's offence DEATH reigned by one. He is ftill difcourfing upon the fame Subject, and therefore evidently, clearly, and infallibly means the fame DEATH in all thefe Places. And of this pray be fatisfied, by a careful Perufal of the whole Paffage, before you go any further.

*

II. By Judgment to Condemnation, or a judicial Act of Condemnation, ver. 16, 18. it appeareth evidently to me, he means the being adjudged to the fore-mentioned DEATH. He means the Sentence of DEATH, of a

The Many; woλλo, all Mankind.

general

general Mortality, pronounced upon Mankind in confequence of Adam's first Tranfgreffion. [Here I beg you would keep your Eye strictly upon the Text as it lieth in the Bible, otherwise I fear you will not be able to keep pace with the Argument.] For obferve, when he faith in the 16th Verfe, and not as by one that finned, fo is the gift; for the judgment was by one to condemnation, he speaks in other Words, concerning the very fame Things he had mentioned in the foregoing Verfe: But not as the offence, fo is the free gift, for if through the offence of one many be dead. One that finned, or one fin* in ver. 16. anfwereth to the offence in ver. 15. The gift, ver. 16. answers to, and is the fame thing with the free gift, ver. 15. And the condemnation inflicted by the judgment of God, ver. 16. anfwereth to, and, in effect, is the fame thing with the being dead, ver. 15. Again, it is no lefs clear, plain, and true, that thefe Words, ver. 17. by one man's offence death reigned by one, answer in Senfe, and in the Apoftle's Defign, to thefe Words, ver. 18. By the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation †. This is true; and you must confider it well before you go any further.

*So fome Greek Copies read it,

III. IN

NOTE, In all the Scriptures, from one end to the other, there is recorded but one Judgment to Gondemnation, one Sentence, one judicial Act of Condemn

atton

III. IN the 19th Verfe, where he concludeth the whole Argument, I think any Man, who duly attends, may fee, that these Words, As by one man's difobedience many were made finners, are of the fame Signification with thofe Words in the foregoing Verfe; As by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation. For fo the two Sentences run. 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. For as by one man's disobedience many were made finners: fo by the obedience of one fhall many be made righteous. He fpeaks of the fame Thing apparently in both Sentences, after the fame

manner

ation which came upon all men; and that is, Gen. iir. 17, 18, 19. In forrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life, till thou return unto the ground: for out of it waft thou taken for duft thou art, and unto duft fhalt thou return. Befides this, we find no other Judgment to Condemnation, which came upon all men, in the whole Bible. And if certainly there be in Scripture no other Judgment to Condemnation which came upon all Men but that; then certainly the Apoftle, as he is arguing upon the Scripture Account, can mean no other but that.

The Apostle ufes a Variety of Phrases in expreffing the fame thing, probably because he wrote in the fame Letter to very different forts of People, viz. to Jews and Gentiles, and therefore fometimes he speaks in common Greek, fometimes in the Jewish manner of Speech, not only to inculcate the Point more effectually, but, perhaps, that he might not be mistaken by either of the Parties.

manner as in 1 Cor. xv. 21, 22. For fince by man came death, by men came alfo the refurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even fo in Chrift fhall all be made alive.

WELL then, there is no doubt but these Words, As by one man's difobedience many were made finners, are of the very fame Sense with thofe Words, As by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation. But we have fhewn, that thefe Words, By the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation, do anfwer in Senfe, and in the Apostle's Defign, to thofe Words, ver. 17. By one man's offence, DEATH reigned by one; and by Death most certainly is intended no other than the DEATH and Mortality common to all Mankind. Therefore it follows, that thefe Words, By one man's disobedience many were made finners, mean neither more nor lefs, than that by one Man's Difobedience, the many, that is, Mankind, were made fubject to DEATH, by the judicial Act of God. This Conclufion, I think, must be true. However, carefully review this Reasoning, and fee if you can find any Flaw in it.

FURTHER, let it be well confidered, that the Apostle was a Jew; that the Hebrew Tongue was his native Language; that he not only wrote to fuch as understood Greek,

but